Corporate Socially Responsible Initiatives and its spillover impact on Consumers’ Adoption of Social and Sustainable Behaviors
(A2023-114469)

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

This research analyzes the impact of CSR strategies undertaken by companies on the potential spillover effect on consumers’ adoption of similar behaviors. We study this phenomenon, analyzing which type of CSR practices have greater impact on boosting consumers’ tendency to engage in similar pro-sustainable and responsible behaviors. Data was collected through a longitudinal study using different cohorts of individuals, recruited through an online research panel, during 2 months, encompassing 7 moments of data collection in time (moment 0 and then every week), across 333 participants, encompassing 2511 observations. Results from this first set of preliminary results suggest that the environmental CSR actions generate a more long-lasting effect on consumer (similar) behavior, as also seem to be the ones generating stronger crossing effects (spillover to other domains). Importantly, across the social and philanthropic CSR initiatives, there seems to exist a negative, instead of positive, spillover effect over time, an effect we designated as the “I’m excused” effect.