Abstract

The article explored postgraduate consumers’ attitude towards global warming in South Africa. This is relevant in a world where the negative impact of global warming is already felt in some countries and there is a great deal of discussion by stakeholders around the mitigation of greenhouse gases. The data used in this article was collected using a specially designed questionnaire which incorporated questions relating to the persuasion (attitude formation) stage of innovation decision process. The findings of this study revealed that the respondents were passively involved with the global warming phenomenon; many were aware of its negative consequences; they were worried about global warming; they felt that it would impact their personal lives, South Africa and future generations. Opinion leadership and word of mouth communication within the respondent’s social system occurred to a limited extent. This study demonstrated the respondents’ attitude towards global warming which within the context of derived demand is significant since consumers are indirectly responsible for businesses’ greenhouse gas emissions.

Key words: Attitude towards global warming, global warming mitigation, consumer social responsibility.