Emission: Impossible – CSR Protocol : A quantitative study of brand trust and the Big Five personalities

Abstract: Brand crises and corporate scandals have in recent years become increasingly present internationally affecting not only consumers and other stakeholders, but the environment at large. Although existing literature has sought to explain this rising trend and the extent of the effects that follow, a gap still remains towards explaining the varied consumer reaction that is expressed in their wake. One theory that has been gaining popularity over recent years in explaining consumer behaviour is the Big Five personalities, which consists of such dimensions as Agreeableness, Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness to experience. The purpose of this study was to bridge that gap by investigating the effect that the Big Five personalities and brand trust had upon purchase intention. To do so we formulated the following research question: Does Agreeableness, Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, Openness to experience, and brand trust affect students’ purchase intention of Volkswagen products in the light of its recent CSR brand crisis? To answer our research question we conducted a quantitative survey at Umeå University, targeting those students who study business related programs or courses. Selecting such students as our respondents was a result of us using convenience sampling method after deciding our target population. The answers collected from 123 respondents were used in a regression analysis which displayed a significant effect on purchase intention from Extraversion and Brand Trust, the result which is visualised in a revised conceptual model. This study makes a theoretical contribution to the research field of personalities’ effect on consumer behaviour and we suggest how our results could be generalized and applicable to not only Swedish consumers, but also consumers in other countries that share certain similarities with Sweden.