Personal social responsibility: Scale development and validation

Abstract Although the literature on consumer behavior has addressed tendencies toward responsible consumption, no research has analyzed responsible behavior as a multidimensional construct in areas not related to consumption, such as paying taxes, children's education, and recycling. It is necessary to develop the concept of personal social responsibility (PSR), which includes human behavior as a whole, beyond consumption. This research develops a reliable and valid scale to measure PSR, a concept that comprises individual behaviors from the perspective of the individual as a citizen. Study 1 ( n = 138) suggests that the construct of PSR is made up of the economic, legal, ethical, philanthropic, and environmental dimensions of individual behavior. Study 2 ( n = 212) demonstrates the external validity of the scale, revealing that perceived consumer effectiveness and collectivism have a positive influence on personal responsibility behaviors, and that being more responsible leads to higher levels of self‐esteem and satisfaction with life.