What comes to mind when you think of sustainability? Qualitative research with ZMET
Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes
ISSN: 1755-4217
Article publication date: 17 July 2020
Issue publication date: 28 August 2020
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to shed light on the demand side of sustainability, that is, on its perceived meaning. The goal is to understand how people think of sustainability, the concepts they evoke when they talk of sustainability and the images and symbols they use to explain these concepts.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a mixed method. First, ten individuals are interviewed using the Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique (ZMET), a protocol developed by Gerald Zaltman in the early 1990s. The concepts and categories emerging from the ZMET have been analyzed, integrated and classified to identify key dimensions.
Findings
Ten concepts related to sustainability are the most recurring in the ZMET: problems and solutions, individual behavior, environment and ecosystem, technologies and innovations, social fairness, food and nutrition, mobility, education and mindfulness, sustainable development and utopia/ideal world.
Research limitations/implications
Ten interviews is a small number to provide a comprehensive analysis of all the meanings of sustainability. To obtain a more complete picture, the number of interviews may need to be increased to 15–20.
Practical implications
The fact that the two concepts appearing with the highest frequency in the ZMETs are “problems and solutions” and “individual behavior” signals that though people understand that there are many problems to be solved in the world as it is now, even the single individual can contribute with his/her behavior.
Social implications
Sustainability is an issue that involves society as a whole; hence, its improvement requires concerted political action coordinated at the national and local levels. The key point of this action is education of people, to make them aware of what sustainability really is.
Originality/value
Although the literature on sustainability is rather abundant, extant literature has mainly focused on the supply/managerial side such as sustainable and responsible companies, corporate social responsibility and also sustainable tourism. This paper sheds some light on the more neglected side of the demand perspective.
Keywords
Citation
Mauri, C. (2020), "What comes to mind when you think of sustainability? Qualitative research with ZMET", Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, Vol. 12 No. 4, pp. 459-470. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-05-2020-0021
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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