5 Consumer’s Perception of Plastics in Everyday …
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smartphone cover (6%). Cluster 2 respondents dislike disposable plastic bags (13%)
and bottles (11%).
Cluster 3—Personality-Oriented People
Respondents within Cluster 3 are active but have a predominantly aggressive personality and focus mainly on personality and associative aspects of materials in relation
to themselves. Cluster 3 consists mainly of men (77%) and is mean age is 29 years.
Regarding plastic materials in products that reflect their personality, they refer to
Personal/Fashion items and Kitchen utensils, such as a re-usable bottle (10%), a
bread box (6%) and a flower pot (8%).
Cluster 4—Rational and Hands-On Simplists
Respondents within Cluster 4 appreciate simplicity and little activity. They are
rational and hands-on and describe materials in relation to themselves with tangible
sensorial characteristics, shape and habit aspects. When describing their positive or
negative fit, they also mention ecological descriptions. Cluster 4 has a rather equal
gender distribution (53/47 male/female) and a mean age of 31 years. Regarding plastic
materials in products that reflect their personality, they refer to practical Kitchen utensils, Electronics and Interior items, such as a bread box (11%) and a re-usable bottle
(9%), whereas in case of a negative fit, disposable bottles (14%) and plastic bags
(9%) are mentioned.
5.5 Discussion
The presented research aimed to explore possible relationships between (plastic)
materials, their expressive value and the link with the personality of the consumer,
whereby personality in this research was defined in terms of the five brand personality
traits. However, these five traits might be too limited for a meaningful cluster analysis
as they are derived from a more extensive set of personality traits. Building upon the
frequent ecological descriptions that emerged in this survey, additional segmentation
items could be added to include sustainable behaviour, such as items of the NEP scale
as a benchmark for pro-environmental attitudes (Anderson 2012), in order to create
a more elaborate cluster analysis.
Regarding the survey methodology, a collaboration was set-up with a mobile
survey company that provided fast access to respondents through their mobile app.
Therefore, the context or environment in which a respondent is using the app might
influence their responses. The effect of this environment has been toned down by
first notifying the respondents of the interview and telling them by means of a video
to get ready and look for a suitable product. Even with this measure, still a lot of the
received products seem to be related to their desk or a break, places where a many
of the users use the app. This might also explain the high frequency of uploaded
products such as a bread box (lunch break), tv remote (near sofa) or computer mouse
(office environment).
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smartphone cover (6%). Cluster 2 respondents dislike disposable plastic bags (13%)
and bottles (11%).
Cluster 3—Personality-Oriented People
Respondents within Cluster 3 are active but have a predominantly aggressive personality and focus mainly on personality and associative aspects of materials in relation
to themselves. Cluster 3 consists mainly of men (77%) and is mean age is 29 years.
Regarding plastic materials in products that reflect their personality, they refer to
Personal/Fashion items and Kitchen utensils, such as a re-usable bottle (10%), a
bread box (6%) and a flower pot (8%).
Cluster 4—Rational and Hands-On Simplists
Respondents within Cluster 4 appreciate simplicity and little activity. They are
rational and hands-on and describe materials in relation to themselves with tangible
sensorial characteristics, shape and habit aspects. When describing their positive or
negative fit, they also mention ecological descriptions. Cluster 4 has a rather equal
gender distribution (53/47 male/female) and a mean age of 31 years. Regarding plastic
materials in products that reflect their personality, they refer to practical Kitchen utensils, Electronics and Interior items, such as a bread box (11%) and a re-usable bottle
(9%), whereas in case of a negative fit, disposable bottles (14%) and plastic bags
(9%) are mentioned.
5.5 Discussion
The presented research aimed to explore possible relationships between (plastic)
materials, their expressive value and the link with the personality of the consumer,
whereby personality in this research was defined in terms of the five brand personality
traits. However, these five traits might be too limited for a meaningful cluster analysis
as they are derived from a more extensive set of personality traits. Building upon the
frequent ecological descriptions that emerged in this survey, additional segmentation
items could be added to include sustainable behaviour, such as items of the NEP scale
as a benchmark for pro-environmental attitudes (Anderson 2012), in order to create
a more elaborate cluster analysis.
Regarding the survey methodology, a collaboration was set-up with a mobile
survey company that provided fast access to respondents through their mobile app.
Therefore, the context or environment in which a respondent is using the app might
influence their responses. The effect of this environment has been toned down by
first notifying the respondents of the interview and telling them by means of a video
to get ready and look for a suitable product. Even with this measure, still a lot of the
received products seem to be related to their desk or a break, places where a many
of the users use the app. This might also explain the high frequency of uploaded
products such as a bread box (lunch break), tv remote (near sofa) or computer mouse
(office environment).