Socialization Research in the Sustainable Consumption Literature: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Sustainable consumption habits, considered essential for solving environmental problems, have been the subject of research for many years. Studies focusing on factors influencing sustainable consumption have revealed the importance of environmental knowledge, concern, values, norms, and habits for behavior. On the other hand, studies adopting the socialization approach attempt to explain how sustainable consumption is adopted and the development processes of the aforementioned cognitive, emotional, and behavioral precursors. The socialization approach provides a comprehensive and valuable framework for understanding the processes and agents that shape the adoption of sustainable consumption habits. However, studies in the literature addressing socialization, sustainable consumption, and its antecedents lack a systematic synthesis. Therefore, this study aims to systematically synthesize the existing literature on sustainable consumption from a socialization perspective. The study employed a bibliometric analysis method. A total of 1,071 publications obtained from the WOS database covering the years 1990-2026 were analyzed using the VOSviewer and Biblioshiny programs. The study included results from co-occurrence analyses, citation analyses, and co-citation analyses. The results show that the most frequently used keywords were sustainability, socialization, environmental education, and youth. According to the citation analysis, the article with the most citations was Zelezny et al. (2000), which highlighted gender differences in attitudes and behaviors towards the environment. Furthermore, the results reveal a steady increase in publications related to socialization and environmental sustainability, particularly after 2006. The study emphasizes the importance of socialization in promoting sustainable consumption habits for policymakers, NGOs, and businesses.

Keywords

• Socialization
• Sustainable Consumption
• Bibliometric Analysis

Sürdürülebilir Tüketim Literatüründe Sosyalleşme Araştırmaları: Bibliyometrik Bir Analiz

Abstract

Çevre sorunlarının çözümü için elzem görülen sürdürülebilir tüketim alışkanlıkları uzun yıllardır araştırmalara konu olmuştur. Sürdürülebilir tüketimi etkileyen faktörlere odaklanan araştırmalar; çevresel bilginin, kaygının, değerlerin, normların, alışkanlıkların davranış için önemini ortaya koymuştur. Diğer yandan sosyalleşme yaklaşımının benimsendiği araştırmalar sürdürülebilir tüketimin nasıl benimsendiğini, bahsi geçen bilişsel, duygusal ve davranışsal öncüllerinin gelişim süreçlerini açıklamaya çalışmaktadır. Sosyalleşme yaklaşımı sürdürülebilir tüketim alışkanlıklarının hangi süreçlerle, kimler aracılığıyla benimsendiğini anlamaya yönelik kapsamlı ve değerli bir çerçeve sunmaktadır. Ancak literatürde sosyalleşme, sürdürülebilir tüketim ve öncüllerini konu alan araştırmalar, sistematik bir sentezden yoksundur. Bu nedenle bu çalışma, sosyalleşme perspektifinden sürdürülebilir tüketimle ilgili mevcut literatürü sistematik şekilde sentezlemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Çalışmada, Bibliometrik analiz yöntemi kullanılmıştır. 1990-2026 yıllarını kapsayan, WOS veri tabanından elde edilen 1071 yayın VOSviewer ve Biblioshiny programıyla analiz edilmiştir. Çalışmada ortak görülme analizleri, atıf analizleri ve ortak atıf analizleri sonuçlarına yer verilmiştir. Sonuçlara göre en çok kullanılan anahtar kelimelerin sürdürülebilirlik, sosyalleşme, çevre eğitimi ve gençler olduğu görülmüştür. Atıf analizine göre en fazla atıf alan makale; çevreye yönelik tutum ve davranışlardaki cinsiyet farklılıklarına dikkat çeken Zelezny vd.’nin (2000) çalışmasıdır. Ayrıca sonuçlar, özellikle 2006’dan sonra sosyalleşme ve çevresel sürdürülebilirlikle ilgili yayınlarda istikrarlı bir artış olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Çalışma, politika yapıcılar, STK’lar, işletmeler için sürdürülebilir tüketim alışkanlıklarını teşvik etmede sosyalleşmenin önemini vurgulamaktadır.

Keywords

• Sosyalleşme
• Sürdürülebilir Tüketim
• Bibliyometrik Analiz

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