Investigating Consumer and Customer Behaviour: An Exploratory Focus Group Research Among Young University Students
Abstract
The purpose of this article is to examine how young adult university students perceive the changes around them and how they cope with the economic impact. Whether and to what extent they are aware of the crisis situation for various reasons and how much change their existence has brought.
This study is part of a larger research project. The overarching research examines the impact of the crisis, how people are experiencing it, and what options are available to adapt to change. In this paper, we present some of the findings from the exploratory, qualitative phase of our research: key findings from a focus group survey with university students.
As a result of our research, we found that the pandemic was also challenging for this age group, but during this time a significant portion of participants were engaged in their studies (high school graduation) and benefited economically from parental support. It is a time that was difficult and not fondly remembered. They do not blame the economic impact for the deterioration of their standard of living, but rather other restrictive policies. The macroeconomic changes of last year (war, energy prices, inflation, etc.) are recognized, but their impact on living standards is very different. The daily consumption of some respondents has not been affected at all by the environmental changes, but there are also respondents whose daily consumption has been significantly affected by the above events. In this group, on the one hand, there is a change in purchasing habits. The amount of products purchased has decreased, and another change is the increasing preference for cheaper and lower quality products. In addition, students have tried to increase their income, but it has not been enough to compensate for the price increases. They are somewhat pessimistic about the future, but do not expect radical changes in their own lives and consumption.
Research findings can help to understand how current economic processes affect young adolescents' consumption and purchasing decisions, and thus highlight the focal points of possible persuasion and influence strategies that can be applied to them.
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