Conceptualization and measurement of millennial's social signaling and self‐signaling for socially responsible consumption

Social responsibility has rapidly gained popularity among consumers specifically among millennials born 1980 to 2000. Millennials are characterized by their willingness to get involved with social and political initiatives. Motivations for social responsibility are not completely unselfish in that individuals receive personal gain when providing support for others. This research proposes that socially responsible (SR) consumption has both social signaling and self‐signaling abilities. The scales for measuring millennial's social signaling and self‐signaling for SR consumption were developed to reflect the evolving nature of both social responsibility and the millennial generation. In‐depth interviews (n = 12) were used to generate scale items and an exploratory factor analysis was used to assess the dimensionality of the scales. Results were subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis that examined convergent and discriminant validity. Nomological validity testing was also performed. The social signaling for SR consumption scale was a one‐dimensional factor structure whereas the self‐signaling for SR consumption scale had two factors. These scales provide a tool for marketers and researchers to develop relevant SR initiatives aimed at millennials.