Behavioral Change Starts in the Family: The Role of Family Communication and Implications for Social Marketing

This article investigates reciprocal consumer socialization in families, with a particular focus on the influence young adults above age 18 living at home have over their parents. A dyadic method of analysis was used to determine the level of influence young people have on the decision making of their parents with regard to the consumption of environmentally sustainable products. Our research shows that parents are not only influenced by their adolescent children, but that they are much more likely to take their children's advice when the family foster open issue-based communication patterns with respect for others. Our findings show that when the parents initially encourage their children to develop their own opinions and at the same time uphold the family hierarchy, they are much more likely to take their children's advice as well. For social marketers seeking to address issues of sustainable consumption, these are important findings.