Resumen de Analysis of the differences between the associates of an environmental non-governmental organizations and the "other" consumers

Arminda Maria Finisterra do Paço, Mário Lino Barata Raposo

• The preservation and protection of our physical environment present a crucial challenge to all society, firms, governments and environmental organizations. The presence of several environmental threats, around the world, has been causing important changes in the social conscience. The result was the development of an ecological or green movement, whose intention is to alert and study the causes, and respective solutions, for the environmental problems. In this process the consumer is also called to participate in the environmental cause, changing his behaviour.

  This study aims to analyze both the role of NGEO's (Non-Govern mental Environment Organizations) and activist consumers. Specifically, the objective of the empirical investigation is to find if the variables related with the environmental issues and the psychographic and behavioural variables are significant to distinguish two groups of consumers: those that are associates of an environmental organization (QUERCUS associates) and the remaining ("other" consumers).