Data from: Why on earth did I buy that? A study of regretted appliance purchases

If targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and thereby tackle climate change are to be achieved, it will be necessary to reduce both embodied energy costs (e.g. in terms of producing and manufacturing the products and services that society consumes) and operational energy costs. Reducing the number of purchases that people regret could be a first step in changing the overall dynamic of consumption patterns. This research looks at some potentially adverse effects of consumption on well-being (e.g. negative emotions), applying social practice theory to give insights into why people make purchases that they feel negatively about. This paper draws from: (i) findings of a national survey of over 2000 respondents which found that 53% of adults had reported regretting purchasing an electrical device at some point, and that 23% regretted making such a purchase within the past year; and (ii) a series of walking interviews around people's homes that provide detailed insights into the nature and extent of regretted purchases of electrical goods (e.g. resentment at built-in obsolescence, frustration at the pace of technological change). By combining the qualitative and quantitative data, we develop a typology of regretted consumption and explore the underlying factors that lead to such purchases. The paper concludes with a discussion of the policy implications of this research.若要达成减少温室气体排放、进而应对气候变化的目标，必须同时降低隐含能源成本（embodied energy costs）——即社会所消费的产品与服务在生产制造环节产生的能源成本——与运行能源成本（operational energy costs）。减少人们产生购买后悔情绪的行为，或可成为调整消费模式整体运行态势的第一步。本研究聚焦消费对福祉可能产生的负面影响（如负面情绪），运用社会实践理论（social practice theory）剖析人们做出令自身懊悔的购买决策的动因。本文的数据来源包含两部分：其一，一项覆盖超2000名受访者的全国调查结果，该调查显示53%的成年人曾在某一时刻后悔购买过电气设备，且23%的成年人在过去一年内有过此类购买后悔经历；其二，一系列围绕受访者家庭开展的居家漫游访谈（walking interviews），这类访谈深入揭示了人们对电气商品产生购买后悔情绪的本质与程度——例如对计划性淘汰（built-in obsolescence）的不满、对技术更迭速度的沮丧等。通过整合定性与定量数据，本研究构建了购买后悔消费的类型学，并探究了引发此类购买行为的深层动因。本文最后讨论了本研究的政策启示。