Consumer Behavior

Our work on consumer behavior builds on our research on risk perceptions alongside judgment and decision-making. But rather than being motivated by an interest in theory development, our research on consumer behavior is driven by a focus on application. That is, my team and I are interested in developing a better understanding of consumer behavior so that we can do a better job of informing and influencing choices that address important societal concerns like human and environmental health. 

For example, a recent study by my team and I focused on the downstream effects of misinformation on social media sites like Facebook; much has been made of the need to provide people with tools and approaches so that they may be more discerning consumers of “news” they encounter online. But before we go there, we might want to first ask how big a problem is online misinformation in the first place. The answer: it’s complicated. We have also studied consumers’ willingness to accept plastic and carbonated products made from captured CO2, and consumers’ willingness to consume foods grown with fertilizers made from recycled human urine. Another recent study focused on how labeling foods as “vegan” or “plant-based” wasn’t as successful for motivating choices as labeling them “healthy” and “sustainable.”

One of our current studies focuses on the perceptions and purchasing behaviors of corporate sustainability officers when it comes to offtake agreements that involve the “direct air capture” (DAC) of carbon dioxide. DAC extracts CO2 directly from the atmosphere at any location. DAC is different from “carbon capture” which is generally carried out at the point of emissions, such as a ship or powerplant. The CO2 vacuumed out of the atmosphere using DAC can be permanently stored in deep geological formations or used in a wide range of different products and industrial applications.