AUTHOR=Xin Huiyu , Li Chenzhuoer , Li Wei , Wang Hong , Liu Ping , Li Shouwei 

TITLE=Consumption replaces charity: Altruistic consumption behaviors and motivations targeting vulnerable groups—Research based on poverty alleviation consumption in China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.933701

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.933701

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=Charity is an effective way to help vulnerable groups. However, using charitable methods to solve the poverty problem of vulnerable groups is short-termly, dependently, and has negative effects. China's large-scale poverty alleviation through consumption action has achieved good results and opened up a new model of poverty alleviation through consumption, which we call altruistic consumption. From the perspective of pro-social behavior theory, this is a typical reciprocal altruism behavior. What are the motivations for this behavior? How do the motivations relate to altruistic consumption behavior? How to promote the sustainability of this behavior so as to replace charity with consumption and completely solve the poverty problem of vulnerable groups? This article takes China's poverty alleviation actions as the research object, investigates and studies the relationship between altruistic consumption motivations and altruistic consumption behaviors that aim for vulnerable groups. It is found that altruistic consumption behavior is mainly affected by benefit group motivation, benefit morality motivation, benefit demander motivation, and benefit supplier motivation. There is a correspondence between the four altruistic consumption motivations and the four altruistic consumption behaviors. The strength of altruistic consumption motivations changes with changes in altruistic buying behavior. The strength of benefit group motivation decreases with the increase in the times of altruistic purchases, while the strength of benefit morality motivation, benefit demander motivation, and benefit supplier motivation increase with the increase in the times of altruistic purchases. Among the four kinds of altruistic consumption motivations that affect the times of altruistic purchases, the benefit demander motivation has a relatively greater influence. The results of this study have important guiding significance for vulnerable groups to formulating targeted proactive marketing strategies, preventing the altruistic consumption relationship dissolution, and realizing sustainable altruistic consumption.