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Is There a “Fair” in Fair-Trade? Social Dominance Orientation Influences Perceptions of and Preferences for Fair-Trade Products

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Abstract

In recent years, there has been a surge in popularity of the fair-trade industry, which seeks to improve trading conditions and to promote the rights of marginalized workers. Although research suggests that fair-trade products are perceived as promoting social and economic responsibility, some individuals—namely, those who seek to maintain existing group inequalities (i.e., those high in social dominance orientation or SDO) or those induced to think inequality is a good thing—may not share this perception. Across three studies, we found that (1) SDO relates negatively to fair-trade consumption, and (2) this relationship is mediated by the tendency for high-SDO individuals to see fair-trade products as less compatible with their conception of social justice. Our findings held after controlling for related individual-differences variables, and regardless of whether SDO was measured or manipulated. Implications for how to maximize the likelihood that people will perceive fair-trade products as “fair” are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Ohio University, 219 Porter Hall, Athens, OH, 45701, USA

    Kimberly Rios

  2. Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, City University of New York, 55 Lexington Ave, New York, NY, 10010, USA

    Stacey R. Finkelstein

  3. University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Jennifer Landa

Authors
  1. Kimberly Rios
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  2. Stacey R. Finkelstein
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  3. Jennifer Landa
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Correspondence to Kimberly Rios or Stacey R. Finkelstein.

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Rios, K., Finkelstein, S.R. & Landa, J. Is There a “Fair” in Fair-Trade? Social Dominance Orientation Influences Perceptions of and Preferences for Fair-Trade Products. J Bus Ethics 130, 171–180 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2221-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2221-9

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