Which consumer psychological factors influence the lifetime of consumer electronic products? A case study of personal computers in Japan

Prolonging the lifetime of consumer electronics, particularly the duration of use (DOU), is essential for realizing a more circular economy and reducing e-waste. In this study, we identified the consumer psychological factors that influence the actual DOU of personal computers (PCs) through a self-administered questionnaire survey and quantitative analysis. Our results revealed that the intention and positive attitude toward longer product use (LPU) have a statistically significant influence on prolonging the actual DOU, and were also positively correlated with the notion that LPU is economically and environmentally beneficial. Having a more positive attitude toward LPU demonstrated a potential actual DOU prolongation of about 10 %. However, consumers who tend to replace their still-functional devices were also more likely to replace their devices early-particularly shortly after the start of use-which implies that using devices for as long as they are functional is effective for prolonging the actual DOU. It was found that the intended DOU (how long consumers intend to use their devices) had a strong positive correlation with the actual DOU. 42.2 % of devices had longer intended than actual DOU, and the gap between the actual and intended DOU was larger for devices with a long intended DOU. Our results provide useful suggestions for manufacturers and policymakers seeking to prolong the product lifetime.

Automated summary

This study identifies the consumer psychological factors that influence the actual duration of use (DOU) of personal computers (PCs), and finds that intention and positive attitude toward longer product use have a significant influence on prolonging the actual DOU. Positive attitude toward longer product use can potentially extend the DOU by about 10%. The study also highlights the importance of using devices for as long as they are functional in order to prolong the actual DOU. The intended DOU is strongly correlated with the actual DOU.