Exploring Chinese Consumer’s Attitude Toward Second-Hand Consumption, Shame or Not ?

Abstract: The burgeoning second-hand economy plays a crucial role in alleviating the environmental crisis exacerbated by over-consumption. In China, the second-hand market has witnessed rapid growth since local customer-to-customer trading platforms emerged in 2015. However, from a sociocultural viewpoint, engaging in second-hand consumption could conflict with traditional Chinese values, particularly face Consciousness. This study applies the Theory of Reasoned Action to investigate Chinese consumers' attitudes towards second-hand consumption and to discern whether Face Consciousness induces feelings of shame in this context. Through quantitative and qualitative surveys, the study reveals a moderately positive consumer attitude towards second-hand consumption, unswayed by gender, education, or city tier. Simultaneously, Sustainable Awareness and Face Consciousness stand out as the primary positive influences, with younger generations more inclined to second-hand consumption. Furthermore, both quantitative and qualitative findings affirm that Face Consciousness is positively correlated with feelings of shame in the context of second-hand consumption.