Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

When individuals consider the adoption of sustainable technologies, they engage with an increasingly complex decision-making process. It was the contention of this research project that in order to develop promotional strategies that can raise the adoption rates of sustainable technologies, researchers must understand real decision-making processes in all their complexity. This research therefore attempted to capture the decision-making process in great detail, paying particular attention to criteria that people regard as important and how they make trade-offs between these criteria, and the types and sources of information that people consult as part of this process. The overall aims of the project were to investigate individual decision-making for sustainable technologies at a micro level, and to understand the trade-offs in decision-making for sustainable technologies.

Main Topics:

The dataset includes 80 qualitative interviews with self-selecting 'ethical consumers' on the decision-making process employed when purchasing their last two or more technological products, e.g. car, fridge, computer, etc. The interviews covered selection of the items and criteria used, whether sales advice was sought, where the item was purchased from, and experiences after purchase.

Volunteer sample

Face-to-face interview