A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SUSTAINABLE CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AMONG VARIOUS SOCIOECONOMIC GROUPS (With Special Reference to Agra District)

Prepared by, Simran Suri

INTRODUCTION India's large youth population is driving the consumerism trend in the country. For the youth shopping is just not a necessity but a leisure activity. Also more disposable income and more number of persons working in families have also contributed to this trend. The good news is that Indian consumerism is yet to attain maturity. But the catch here is society has a whole believes in saving rather than spending.

"Sustainability as a principle is characterized by the interplay of three dimensions: ecology, economy and social. Living sustainably means living well, healthily, in partnership and with tolerance, maintaining the value of things, enjoying things consciously, and consuming with enjoyment. Consuming sustainably means reminding oneself that what is better and not what is cheaper can be the enemy of what is good; what is more, that community and individualism go hand-in-hand just as partnership.

 Consumption is crucial for sustainable development simply because it is crucial for peoples well-being and flourishing. Indeed, the final objective of sustainable development is to secure opportunities of well-being for all humans whatever their precise time and space location. Therefore, the ultimate concern of sustainability is to ensure adequate consumption for future generation.

NEED OF THE STUDY

On the basis of the reviews given in the study undertaken by various experts on consumer behavior under different parameters, revealed that it is a complex issue which is in the need of viewing closely under new dimensions of sustainable consumerism. This research work is done in this field that would surely provide an insight into sustainable consumerism keeping in view the above facts, the present study entitled A COMPARITIVE STUDY OF SUSTAINABLE CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AMONG DIFFERENT SOCIOECONOMIC GROUPS, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO AGRA DISTIRCT.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The objectives of this study are to provide best practice tailored to the special needs of consumerism in India so the researcher has made the following objectives:To study the recent trend of sustainable consumerism in India. To analysis the different parameters of sustainable consumerism. To evaluate the effect of sustainable consumerism between different socio-economic groups. To suggest future course of action for sustainable consumerism.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
To fulfill the objectives the study has been conducted by taking both primary as well as secondary data. Primary Data:-

The primary study has been done through structured questionnaire, informal meetings and discussions with customers which have been using green-products and adopting sustainable consumer practices. The customers selected for this study are from different socio-economic groups who represent the sustainability in consumption.
Sample Design
Population Agra Size of Sample 100 Respondent Method of Sample Convenient Method Respondent Group Heterogeneous (selected from diff. socio economic groups)

The secondary data is collected through different websites, newspapers, magazines, articles, books and journals etc. The data from respondents which represent the various Socio-Economic groups analyzed by using advanced statistical tool as correlation and regression by SPSS.
PROPOSED SCHEME OF THE WORK

The study consists of following chapters, namely, Chapter First: Introduction Chapter Second: Current Scenario of Sustainable Consumerism in India Chapter Third: Parameters of Sustainable Consumerism. Chapter Fourth: Sustainable Consumerism in Different Socio Economic Groups. Chapter Fifth: Conclusion and Recommendations

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

Following limitations are observed by the researcher while conducting the present study:The time duration for the study is one year. The study is concentrated only to Agra . Due to limited resources it will not be possible to apply reliability and validity tool for survey. The researcher has used convenient method for selecting sample so this is unable to represent the actual picture of Sustainable Consumerism.