Between resistance and readiness: Segment-specific reactions to consumption reduction

Limiting global warming to 1.5 °C requires not only technological innovation but also substantial reductions in individual consumption, particularly in high-income societies. Yet, sufficiency lifestyles evoke divergent expectations among individuals including gains and losses that act as enablers or barriers to adopting such lifestyles. Effective communication efforts aiming at promoting lifestyle uptake should be informed about existing consumer stances on this idea. Using a sample of Austrian consumers and latent class analysis, we identify five consumer segments that differ in their engagement with sufficiency-oriented lifestyles, from highly engaged to highly disengaged. These segments vary systematically in the benefits versus costs they anticipate from changing their lifestyles to support environmental goals. Anticipated satisfaction or frustration of autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs is linked to the likelihood of belonging to specific segments. The findings reveal distinct psychological profiles associated with individuals' position on sufficiency as a demand-side mitigation strategy and emphasize the importance of audience-tailored communication.