Meta-Analysis on the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives on Consumer Behavior
(A2022-107556)

AUTHORS

Rita Coelho do Vale, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Catolica Lisbon- School of Business and Economics; Pedro Verga Matos, Universidade de Lisboa, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management; Filipa Almeida, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Catolica Lisbon- School of Business and Economics

ABSTRACT

Initially studied from the stakeholder’s perspective, recently more attention has been devoted towards CSR’s impact on consumer behavior. However, results have not been convergent nor conclusive. Thus, in order to better understand the impact of CSR initiatives on consumers’ behavior and attitudes towards companies we conducted a thorough meta-analysis. We present results of a comprehensive meta-analysis covering 797 effect sizes, extracted from 168 research articles encompassing 72248 participants. Results suggest that CSR initiatives have a positive and medium effect on consumer behavior, but with different magnitudes depending on several factors (type of participants, type of sampling, type of CSR initiative, and country’s development), all playing a significant role in the relationship between CSR and consumer response. These insights can be leveraged to design CSR initiatives that cause greater impact on consumers’ attitudes and behavior.