Exploring predictors of circular consumption practices: A Theory of Planned Behaviour approach.
Participant Information Sheet/Consent Form  

Chief Investigator Dr James Williams
Associate Investigator: Matthew Farrugia
Student Investigator Liam Jose

This Participant Information Sheet/Consent Form provides you with information about the research project. Understanding what is involved will help you decide whether or not you want to participate in the research. Participation in this study is voluntary, and you are under no obligation to take part. You may leave the study at any time by closing your browser. Please read this information carefully. If you have any questions or need further clarification, please use the contact information provided at the bottom of this form.

Introduction
Thank you for considering participating in our research project titled “Exploring predictors of circular consumption practices: A Theory of Planned Behaviour approach.” Please note that you must be 18 years or older to participate.

What is the purpose of this study?
This study aims to explore the factors that influence people’s willingness to engage in circular consumption practices like repairing, reusing, and recycling. Circular consumption focuses on keeping products and materials in use for as long as possible, helping to reduce waste and promote sustainability. We will examine how key psychological factors—such as people’s beliefs about the benefits of these behaviours, their perceptions of others’ expectations, their confidence in their ability to perform these behaviours, and their concerns about climate change—predict their intentions to engage in circular consumption. Additionally, we will look at how these factors interact and whether people’s concerns about climate change and the psychological distress related to it influence these relationships.

Project and researcher interests
The research team involves Dr James Williams, Matthew Farrugia, and Liam Jose. The research is not funded.

What will I be asked to do?
If you choose to participate, you will be asked to complete an online survey that includes questions about circular consumption, and your thoughts about climate change. No identifying information (including IP address) will be collected about you, so your responses will be entirely anonymous.

What are my rights as a participant?
This survey is completely anonymous. Participation in this study is voluntary, and you can withdraw your consent at any time. By proceeding to the next page, you are providing your consent to participate in the study. Your responses will be saved and stored on a secure server that is password protected. Please note: you are free to withdraw at any time without explanation by quitting your browser before you complete the study. However, the online platform Qualtrics, which gathers the data, will record responses in any uncompleted surveys. These data are non-identifiable and so cannot be deleted by the researchers and therefore will be included in the final research data set.

Your rights as a research participant will be respected at all times.

What are the potential benefits of participating?
There are no direct benefits to taking part in this survey; however, your responses and input will help us and other researchers to better understand the predictors of circular consumption behaviours.

What are the potential risks of participating?
The survey items are not expected to be invasive or pose any risk.

What will happen to the information about me?
The results of this research project are anticipated to be published and/or presented in various forums. The data will also be used by the student investigator in their thesis, submitted as part of the Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Advanced). Any publication, presentation, or sharing of data will be done in a way that ensures your anonymity. During data collection, the information will be hosted on the Qualtrics online data collection platform. At the conclusion of data collection, your data will be stored on password-protected servers at Swinburne University of Technology and deleted from the Qualtrics platform. De-identified data will also be shared in a data repository called the Open Science Foundation (OSF). The OSF data file will be available for future researchers interested in exploring the variables measured in this study.

What happens when the research ends?
The researchers intend to publish the results of this study in scientific journals and utilize the findings for the completion of theses as part of the students' Graduate Diploma of Psychology - Advanced program.

Who can I contact if I have any questions?
If you have any further questions about this research, please feel free to contact Dr James Williams (JWilliams@swin.edu.au)


Concerns/complaints about the project

This project has been approved by or on behalf of Swinburne’s Human Research Ethics Committee (SUHREC) in line with the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. If you have any concerns or complaints about the conduct of this project, you can contact: Research Ethics Officer, Swinburne Research (H68), Swinburne University of Technology, P O Box 218, HAWTHORN VIC 3122 Australia. Tel (03) 9214 3845 or +61 3 9214 3845 or resethics@swin.edu.au