소비자의 개인적 가치가 지속가능소비와 소비자 행복에 미치는 영향: 문화적 가치의 조절효과를 중심으로

This study addresses the growing social demand for sustainability amid the global climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic by examining how personal values, as underlying psychological mechanisms, influence sustainable consumption and consumer happiness. In particular, this study empirically analyzes how the moderating effects of cultural values – namely power distance, collectivism, and long-term orientation – help explain the inconsistent findings reported in previous studies. To this end, an online survey was conducted with 401 consumers, and the collected data were analyzed using hierarchical regression analysis. The results indicate that among personal values, self-transcendence and family values had a significant positive effect on sustainable consumption. Interestingly, contrary to a hypothesis, self-enhancement was also found to promote sustainable consumption. Regarding the moderating role of cultural values, power distance functioned as a pure moderator in the relationship between materialism and sustainable consumption, whereas collectivism operates as a quasi-moderator by mitigating the negative impact of materialism and strengthening the positive effect of family values. Finally, sustainable consumption was identified as a significant antecedent of consumer happiness. Overall, the findings of this study are expected to contribute to the literature by empirically clarifying the interaction between individual-level values and cultural values, thereby providing a more nuanced theoretical and practical foundation for promoting sustainable consumption.