I want you to take a moment and imagine you have just won the Lottery. Now, think about what you would do with your winnings.
For many thoughts turn to dream homes, expensive cars and far away destinations. Typically, if you have money to spend, you spend it. So, it’s not surprising that those with higher incomes typically consume more and so have larger carbon footprints. But, before we continue, I want to reset the belief about the point at which high incomes start to become a socially and ecologically problematic as I’m not just talking about the super-rich, top 1%.
Globally, consumption by the wealthiest 10% of households is responsible for 50% of annual emissions, whilst the lowest half of earners are only responsible for 10%.
You may be surprised to know that in the UK household incomes over £74k are in the top 10% which means many of us are unknowingly some of the highest consumers.
Why can’t we consume unchecked?
Consumption is often seen as being aspirational, a measure of success or as a way to fulfil needs at both an individual and societal level, however the exponential increases in global levels of consumption (which show no signs of slowing down) are presenting some big challenges.
Existing approaches to achieving Net Zero will not reduce emissions to safe levels whilst in homes across the UK, choices are made every day whether to heat or eat. We can’t support the poorest in society to consume enough to achieve a decent standard of living, whilst at the same time reducing emissions to protect our planet, without addressing high consumption lifestyles.
But, there’s another reason why this makes sense. Despite the belief that acquiring material things leads to happiness, research shows that this isn’t true, and that after a certain point materialism can negatively impact wellbeing. The social and economic pressures that come along with creating and sustaining high consumption lifestyles can be really hard work - so why is it so hard to consume less?
Why don’t (can’t) we stop consuming?
Research has uncovered an array of factors (200+) that influence consumption, from individual differences to wider societal forces, and advice on how to reduce consumption and lead more sustainable lives is everywhere – and yet we don’t (or can’t) stop consuming. What we don’t know is how the complex interplay of these factors unfold or what factors are salient when we’re making everyday consumption decisions. This puzzle needs solving, but it’s like a new jigsaw. There are lots of pieces, we don’t know how they fit together or if any are missing.
So, where do we go from here?
We need to be careful not to blame high consumers. Yes, we have individual agency but we are also a product of our social, cultural and structural environments. My research recognises that there are multiple determinants of high consumption and from this position explores what drives and locks-in high consumption lifestyles using Institutional Ethnography to centre the individual and their agency in the wider socio-cultural context. Through the lens of Fractions of the Lifeworld theory, which suggests there are 8 intertwined components in any and all experiences, I plan to map how the experience is influenced by its purpose, time (e.g. Christmas/personal history) and spaces (like shopping centres/home), identities, feelings and relationships with others to uncover how the complex interplay of influencing factors create and sustain high consumption lifestyles.
Next steps
I’m just about to head into the field to conduct deep qualitative interviews with affluent, high consuming households, exploring what is actually influencing everyday consumption choices - from what sparks an initial need (or want) to the people, processes and discourses that facilitate their decisions to start putting the pieces of this puzzle together.
This research is timely and crucial. Other than a select number of academics, high consumption isn’t being talked about and sufficiency is not often considered as a policy approach. There is a growing recognition of the need to reduce high consumption and so we need to get high consumption on the table of policy stakeholders – recognising that to achieve wider societal change we need to change the behaviours of behaviour changers.
What do I hope to achieve?
By uncovering key insights to inform much needed household level policy intervention that will contribute to both the protection of our planet and a route to improving wellbeing across society, for both those that need to consume more to meet their needs but also those experience the stress and pressures that a life of high consumption demands.
To finish off, lets take it back to the beginning and think once again about winning lottery. So, what would you do with your winnings?
Amy Grace is...
This blog forms part of her 3MT final etc...
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