YOUTH 2020 - The position of young people in Slovenia

Consumer behaviour and consumer activities  319 9.4  KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS On the basis of the findings presented above, the following conclusions can be made: 1. Shopping is increasinglymoving online – only 11.5%of young people do not shop online or get information about the products they want to buy. In 2010, there were almost half (46.1%) of such young people. 2. Price is a key factor in young people’s choice of products to buy. The environmental or sustainability aspect is relatively unimpor- tant – only 8% of young people indicated that this product aspect is crucial, although on the other hand they highly value environ- mental protection and living in a clean environment, and indicate that they have or would probably boycott the purchase of certain products for political, ethical, or environmental reasons. The data show a wide gap between attitudes and actions. 3. The 2010-2020 data show a significant shift towards an increas- ing importance of shopping. 4. Young people are increasingly concerned about appearance, which suggests that they are adapting to the mentality of an im- age-saturated culture that prioritises form over substance. 5. Political consumerism is widespread among young people, both in the context of rejecting particular products (boycotting) and in the context of shopping for political, ethical, andenvironmental reasons. 6. Environmentally responsible consumerism and consumer activ- ism are becoming increasingly conventional practices of political self-expression among young people. When considering the recommendations for youth policy implementa- tion based on the above findings, the key issue that emerges is that of sustainable action or environmental pollution. The latter is closely linked to the environmentally unsustainable “buy and throw away” model and in fact poses the greatest threat to young people and future generations. In this respect, efforts should be made to bridge the gap between young people’s attitudes and purchasing practices. In order to promote sustain-