Changes in an unstable world. Environment, technology and consumption

In recent years, the fragmentation and liquidity of contemporary society have been crowned by an increasing period of uncertainty. First, there was the outbreak of the Covid 19 pandemic, which severely affected not only the global economy but also the daily lives of people, who were often forced to stay at home and thus perform most of their activities within the walls of their houses. Then, just as cities were once again bustling with events and activities and people were regaining hope for a sense of normalcy, news of the war in Ukraine halted the recovery of countries’ economies and led to a spike in oil, gas and wheat prices that directly and indirectly affected the end consumer. In the background are raising concerns about the environment and the spread of the «Friday for Future» movement involving young people in capitals around the world. The growing climate of uncertainty helped to drive consumers toward more ideological consumption patterns, i.e., more sustainable consumption or lifestyles dedicated to voluntary simplicity or anti-consumerism. This paper presents the preliminary results of a research project aimed at investigating the impact of the uncertain climate on Italian consumers in the areas of environment, technology, and consumption. 12.050 self-completed questionnaires were collected in November 2022. The results show the impact of the socio-economic crisis, concern for daily life, hope for the future, and attitudes and behaviours related to sustainable consumption.