Description:
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<jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Purpose</jats:title>
<jats:p>The paper aims to investigate pro-social behaviour of Italian consumers during the decision-making process of buying food produced in lands confiscated from <jats:italic>Mafia-type</jats:italic> organisations. This is assumed as a form of buycotting, thus as an ethical purchasing choice to contribute to social change.</jats:p>
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<jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Design/methodology/approach</jats:title>
<jats:p>Data from 339 interviews were elaborated with a cluster analysis. The difference between groups was confirmed using MANOVA, whereas the multivariate multiple regression analysis was carried out to assess the difference between clusters.</jats:p>
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<jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Findings</jats:title>
<jats:p>Three types of consumer groups are identified: <jats:italic>absolutists</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>exceptionist</jats:italic>s and <jats:italic>subjectivists</jats:italic>. Coherent with previous studies, findings also highlight the relevance of information acquisition and of the self-effectiveness perception as key factors to stimulate pro-social behaviours.</jats:p>
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<jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Originality/value</jats:title>
<jats:p>With a social marketing perspective, the paper offers useful suggestions to promote political consumerism as a critical choice to contribute to fight against <jats:italic>Mafia-type</jats:italic> organisations and to spread a culture of lawfulness.</jats:p>
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