(Un)sustainable consumption in Australian households : an exploratory study

![CDATA[Unsustainable consumption has been identified as one of the main causes of global environmental deterioration. Particular attention is paid to the role of household consumers and the consequences of their choices. A number of studies show that different socioeconomic groups within a nation have diverse consumption profiles leading to different environmental impacts. Thus, policies or programs aimed at regulating unsustainable consumption or promoting sustainability at the household level should be based on a good understanding of the relationship between consumption and the characteristics of households. The current study aims to assess the consumption or usage patterns of households in NSW, Australia with respect to two main groups of environmentally relevant services namely, energy (electricity and gas) and water. The micro-econometric analysis takes into account the effects of the following variables: household income, household size, age, educational level, main occupation, dwelling type, dwelling ownership and labour force status. The data came from the latest (2003-04) cross-sectional survey of the Australian Bureau of Statistics on household expenditures. In addition to the empirical results, the paper also presents a review of approaches to model demand, previous empirical studies on the determinants of unsustainable consumption and relevant methodological issues. This study differs from most previous studies on the subject in that the analysis is at the household level and focuses on specific household characteristics as potential determinants of water and energy consumption.]]