Social Representation of Second-Hand Shopping: Cognitive Structure and Everyday Circular Economy Practice of the Scottish Population

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BackgroundReuse behaviours such as buying second-hand objects are central to the transition towards a circular economy (CE). However, existing research has largely prioritised individual motivations, paying less attention to the shared meanings through which such behaviours are socially constructed. Drawing on Social Representations Theory (SRT), this study examines how collective understandings of second-hand shopping are organised and how they relate to broader circular-economy consumption behaviours.MethodsWe report findings from a pre-registered study based on a nationally representative survey of Scottish adults (N = 1,516), which included a free-association task eliciting spontaneous meanings related to “buying second-hand.” The data were analysed using a mixed-method approach.ResultsThe results reveal a structured social representation of second-hand shopping that is predominantly practice-oriented and economically anchored, with strong emphasis on affordability and waste avoidance, with environmental concerns emerging in central elements. Five distinct cognitive clusters were identified, differing in their configurations of economic, moral, environmental, and pragmatic meaning constructions. CE-related behavioural engagement (particularly buying used, buying less, and zero-waste practices) was more strongly associated with cluster formation than sociodemographic characteristics.ConclusionsSecond-hand shopping is widely represented as an everyday, functional practice rather than an explicitly normative or policy-driven behaviour. While environmental meanings are increasingly integrated, collective representations remain grounded in resourcefulness and waste avoidance.

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