The evaluation of the belief and general attitudes of voluntary simplifiers toward advertising: A mixed method research

The fact that the consumption phenomenon has penetrated into every area of human life and the negative effects of consumption on the environment have led to the emergence of anti-consumption movements. Voluntary simplicity, one of the anti-consumption groups, is consciously reducing consumption without completely rejecting it. It is possible to say that voluntary simplifiers will become a large consumer group. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the motivations, lifestyles and consumption behaviors of these people in detail. Looking at the voluntary simplicity literature, it has been noticed that this concept has not yet been examined in terms of advertising. Understanding voluntary simplicity in detail will have important consequences for both consumer behavior and advertising. This study which is planned as a mixed research design uses qualitative and quantitative methods concurently. Quallitative research results has showed that, the voluntary simplicity motivations of the participants emerged as self-determination, environment, material simplicity, source of stress and personal development, family and ethics. In qualitative research, beliefs about advertising emerged as information, entertainment, social role and image, discomfort, economic benefit and social impact. In quantitative research, environmental awareness, long-term use of products, self-efficacy, measured shopping, preference for products with simple functions and intrinsic values emerged as voluntary simplicity motivations. As a result of the quantitative research, while beliefs towards advertising predict attitudes towards advertising in general, through the dimensions of entertainment, information and economic benefit; materialism and social role and image dimensions did not predict the general attitude towards advertising. Finally, the similarities and differences between them were revealed by comparing the qualitative and quantitative data.