TL;DR
Get kitchen gear delivered free — and shop member deals
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Access to Prime Big Deal Days deals on October 6–7
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
A qualitative study of 23 people aged 18 to 27 in Slovenia found that participants generally supported sustainable coffee, but convenience, price, taste and routine more often shaped their choices. The author cautioned that the small sample was not designed to represent Gen Z consumers broadly.
A study of 23 people aged 18 to 27 in Slovenia found that young coffee drinkers could value sustainability while choosing coffee mainly for convenience, price and routine. Published July 27 in Frontiers in Sustainability, the qualitative research describes a gap between participants’ support for ethical and environmental practices and the factors they said guided everyday purchases.
Polona Dakič of the Faculty of Management at the University of Primorska conducted three focus groups, dividing participants into heavy coffee users, casual users and people who did not drink coffee. Across the groups, participants generally understood and approved of ideas such as ethical sourcing, recyclable packaging, fair-trade certification and environmental responsibility.
Those views did not consistently drive buying decisions. Participants described speed, affordability, taste, comfort and familiarity as more immediate considerations. The paper calls this gap the “sustainability-convenience paradox”: consumers may support sustainability as an idea, while daily choices are shaped by practical needs, habits and social circumstances.
Some participants also questioned coffee companies’ sustainability messaging, describing green marketing as performative when it did not signal meaningful change. The study explored participants’ views and self-reported routines; it did not independently assess specific brands’ claims or measure the environmental outcomes of their purchases.
Convenience Shapes Coffee Purchases
The findings suggest that favorable attitudes toward sustainable coffee may not be enough to change what consumers buy when price, time and established routines point elsewhere. For coffee sellers and certification groups, that distinction matters: consumers’ stated interest does not by itself show that they will pay more, change brands or seek out certified products.
The research also highlights the role of trust. If shoppers doubt sustainability labels or see them as marketing, claims may do little to affect choices. The focus groups captured skepticism among some participants, but they did not establish how widespread that skepticism is among young people or whether it changes purchasing behavior.
Readers should treat the results as a close look at how a small group described its choices, rather than a measure of Gen Z buying patterns. The study offers a possible explanation for why interest in ethical consumption can coexist with routine purchases driven by convenience.
A Small Slovenian Focus Group Study
The paper examined young consumers in Slovenia through discussion groups rather than a large survey or transaction data. Its 23 participants were between 18 and 27 and included coffee drinkers with different levels of use as well as non-drinkers. That design let the researcher explore how participants talked about sustainability alongside their reported habits, but it cannot show how common each view is across the country or across Gen Z elsewhere.
The report places the findings alongside earlier research on the difference between consumer preferences and actual purchases. A recent study cited by Daily Coffee News suggested shoppers may be more likely to follow through on ethical coffee purchases when the sticker price is unchanged, even if the amount of coffee is smaller. A 2021 Mintel analysis found that the share of new coffee products carrying ethical or environmental claims had nearly doubled over about a decade; that analysis did not verify the claims or measure their results.
A broader review of coffee sustainability research cited survey data indicating that more than 60% of consumers in North America and Europe prefer certified coffees, alongside willingness to pay more for traceable, single-origin products. Those populations and methods are not directly comparable with Dakič’s small Slovenian sample. The studies provide context for the tension between reported preferences and decisions, not a shared estimate of young consumers’ behavior.
“I care about sustainability in theory, but honestly, when I’m stressed or late for class, I just buy whatever is fastest.”
— A student participant, as quoted in the paper
How Far the Findings Extend
The study was small and qualitative, and Dakič said it was not designed to be statistically generalizable. Its participants were in Slovenia, so the results do not establish how young consumers in other countries, or Gen Z as a whole, choose coffee.
The research relied on focus group discussions and self-reported routines. It does not quantify how often participants bought sustainable coffee, what they paid, or whether their stated preferences matched purchase records. It also did not test the accuracy or impact of particular companies’ sustainability claims.
The paper reports that Dakič received no financial support and declared no conflicts of interest. Those disclosures do not resolve the limits of the sample or research method.
Further Research on Buying Behavior
The study does not announce a follow-up project or a next publication date. Further research could compare larger groups across locations and examine purchase records or controlled price choices to test whether the patterns described in the focus groups hold beyond this sample.
For now, the published findings offer a qualitative account of how 23 young people in Slovenia described coffee sustainability and daily purchasing. Any broader conclusions about Gen Z, consumer demand or the effects of coffee labels remain open.
Key Questions
What did the study find about young people and sustainable coffee?
Participants generally supported sustainability ideas, but convenience, price, taste and routine more often shaped their reported coffee choices.
Who took part in the research?
The study used three focus groups with 23 participants aged 18 to 27 in Slovenia, including heavy and casual coffee users and people who did not drink coffee.
Does the study represent Gen Z consumers broadly?
No. The author said the small qualitative sample was not designed to be statistically generalizable. It cannot establish how Gen Z consumers overall buy coffee.
Did the study verify coffee brands’ sustainability claims?
No. Participants discussed skepticism about some green marketing, but the research did not audit brand claims or measure their environmental outcomes.
Source: rss
Fall Picks
fall essentials
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
