Exploring Consumer Clothing Habits: A Pilot Survey on Second-Hand Fashion
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in how and why we shop for clothes—particularly when it comes to second-hand fashion. These questions formed the foundation of this research essay, which explores consumer habits and their relationship with second-hand clothing stores and digital resale platforms.
For this university assignment, I was required to conduct a pilot survey addressing a current media or cultural issue. As this was my first experience designing and distributing a survey, this essay will outline the development process and reflect on the study’s key strengths and limitations.
While this project was completed in an academic context, it may also appeal to readers who, like myself, are interested in the culture and growing popularity of second-hand shopping. Thank you for reading—and if you have any comments or know of similar research, I’d love to hear more.
Consumer Clothing Habits
Introduction:
This
research study will explore how people in the UK engage with buying new and
second-hand clothing. It will aim to answer how people identify the financial
and environmental motivations for buying second-hand clothing. Also, how do
consumers discard used clothing, specifically on resale platforms? By
conducting a pilot survey, this study will discuss the context, methodology,
analysis, and reflection of how I aimed to answer three research questions.
The
‘informal economy’ of buying and selling second-hand clothes has come to the
forefront of academic discourse. Media scholars, like Dr Alida Payson and
Jennifer Lynn Ayres, are identifying the impacts of environmental concerns and
socioeconomic crises on establishing second-hand shopping as an ‘integral area
of cultural and social life’ (Payson et al 2022, p. 1). Furthermore, in the
last decade, there has been a rapid growth of “sharing economy platforms” and
the development of “peer-to-peer sharing platforms” (Ek Styven and Mariani
2020), like the second-hand platform Vinted (Dekhili et al. 2025).
However, a 2025 research study has illustrated how these platforms have
facilitated over-consumption through ‘promotional bundles’ and increased demand
for second-hand fashion. This paradoxically undermines the sustainability
benefits of second-hand shopping, as increased demand and promotional tactics
drive over-consumption (Dekhili et al. 2025). The demand for second-hand goods
has also benefited large non-profit organisations, like Goodwill in the
United States. Goodwill has profited from the culture of people throwing
goods away because they are undesirable, in contrast to goods being donated
because they have ‘depleted of value and use’ (Ayres 2017, p. 123). This
capitalisation on the culture of over-consumption is exemplified through their
revenue in 2015 reaching $5.6 billion (Ayres 2017, p. 122).
Market
researchers have investigated the culture and motivations of shopping
second-hand; in a research study conducted by Maria Ek Styven and Marcello M
Mariani, they noted that consumers purposing second-hand shopping are motivated
by the ‘gratification of price’, ‘distance from the consumption system’, and
psychological motivation of ‘treasure hunting’ and ‘nostalgic pleasure’ (2020,
p. 726). Subsequently, the experiences of shopping second-hand, whether via
online platforms or in charity/thrift shops, have generated a dichotomy of both
work and leisure for consumers (Ayres 2017). On the one hand, there is a
pleasure in ‘creating narratives’ about the previous second-hand owners and
their lives. On the other hand, the process in which used goods are transformed
from ‘trash to treasure’ requires specialised knowledge and labor that enables
shoppers to rebrand objects into contextually and symbolically valuable
creations (Ayres 2017, p. 124). For Ayres, this illustrates how the experience
of second-hand shopping can be a job, something people work for because they
can resell used goods for profit (2017).
Research Questions:
Research
Question: How do
people in the UK engage with new clothing and second-hand fashion?
Subsidiary
Questions:
- How
do financial and environmental motivations shape second-hand clothing
purchases?
- How
do people discard clothing, particularly through resale platforms?
Methodology:
Survey
discussion:
This
section discusses why a survey was selected for the research questions and how
similar studies have used this method. Furthermore, I will discuss the
advantages and disadvantages of surveys as a research method.
In
recent years, more researchers have been analysing the relationship between
second-hand shopping and its motivations. Surveys are effective methods for
finding data on how consumers feel and behave when shopping for fashion (Hansen
and Machin 2019, p. 201). By collecting numerical data from structured
questions, the representative sample can be analysed to make inferences about
consumer trends in the UK (Hansen and Machin 2019). Additionally, surveys are
valuable methods for understanding different demographic variables; for
instance, they allow for comparison between age groups and their shopping
motivations (2014, p. 14).
Previous
research on fashion consumption has effectively employed surveys as a method.
For example, a survey by Mintel (2000), noted that 28% of UK consumers
had purchased from charity shops within 12 months (Roux and Guiot 2010, p.
355). In comparison, a survey conducted by Dekhili et al. (2025, p. 4),
demonstrated how French Millennials engaged in buying and selling second-hand
clothes via online fashion platforms; it showed that people were influenced by
sustainable delivery methods (Dekhili et al. 2025, p. 1). Similarly, a survey
in Japan revealed that people were motivated by fashion preferences and
‘financial advantages’ to buy second-hand clothes (Chen and Tabata 2024, p.
3876). These studies demonstrate that surveys effectively capture consumer behaviours
across different contexts.
Despite
their strengths, surveys have limitations (Hansen and Machin 2019). Online
surveys can generate lower-quality responses, unlike face-to-face surveys,
particularly when using open-ended questions (Williams et al 2022, p. 85).
Similar studies have chosen semi-structured interviews to capture demographic
data (Kneese and Palm 2020). Furthermore, self-completion online surveys can
cause ‘non-responses’, particularly in those under 25s that respond, ‘less than
20%’ (Williams et al 2022, p. 86). Nevertheless, stipulating required questions
on the survey design has prevented ‘non-responses’ from inflating (Williams et
al 2022, p. 86). Moreover, surveys are efficient for collecting data in a
‘cost-effective way’ (Hansen and Machin 2019, p. 203), as they can reach large
samples who can access surveys on their phones (Williams et al 2022, p. 87).
Survey
Design:
This
section outlines the survey development process, including question design,
ethical considerations, and sampling approach. The survey was designed based on
research questions addressing second-hand fashion consumption. Due to previous
studies focusing on different global contexts, UK respondents were chosen to
provide localized insights. The introduction ensured respondents understood the
study’s purpose, with ethical considerations such as voluntary participation,
informed consent, and anonymity included (Williams et al. 2020, p. 89).
Demographics: respondents were required to
confirm their age and employment status in a multiple-choice question. This
data would provide insight into how age and financial factors impact their
shopping motivations and habits. This approach aligns with studies showing that
83.4% of second-hand shoppers are aged 18-45 (Tymoshchuk et al., 2024). The
survey sample was restricted to respondents who were aged under 60 and ‘readily
available (friends, coworkers)’ to analyse generational differences (Fowler
2014, p. 14). This sampling method was appropriate because of the convenience
of respondents in university education or living locally in full-time
employment. However, a limitation of this approach is the sample is not fully
representative of UK demographics and can cause sampling biases (Eichhorn 2021,
p. 96).
Shopping
Habits: A Likert
scale matrix question assessed shopping frequency across different retail
methods, allowing comparisons between fast fashion and second-hand purchases.
Evans et al. (2022) used a similar approach to evaluate fashion trends’ impact
on consumer behaviour. Additionally, the use of a Likert scale matrix was
intended to note the intensity and nuance of respondent frequency; however,
this method has been noted for introducing researcher bias (Westland 2022).
Factors
Influencing Clothing Purchases:
This section used Likert scale matrix questions, checkboxes, and
multiple-choice. Asking the respondents what motivates them to buy new clothes,
and the frequency with which they do so, provides insight into what Dekhili et
al. (2025) noted as ‘time spent online affecting impulse buying and
over-consumption’. Lastly, the inclusion of ‘frustrations with greenwashing’
aimed to address how respondents felt towards the fashion industries’ attempt
to create a ‘circular economy’ (Adamkiewics et al. 2022).
Second-Hand
Shopping and Resale Behaviour:
Questions examined respondents’ engagement with second-hand platforms,
influenced by Styven & Mariani’s (2020) research on sharing economy
platforms. Questions on clothing disposal motivations were adapted from
Bernardes et al. (2019), who categorized reasons as hedonic, utilitarian, or
fashion-sensitive. To avoid leading questions, I asked respondents questions
that had the space for meaningful answers. For instance, asking what
respondents did with used clothes meant they could choose from five nuanced responses
(French 2012)
Financial
Pressures and Changing Habits:
This section assessed whether economic factors influenced second-hand shopping
behaviours, based on Ayres’ argument that thrift stores remain resilient during
financial downturns (2017, p. 122). The survey sought to determine if resale
platforms are attracting new demographics in response to rising living costs.
Analysis:
Demographics:
[Image
1] In the chart
above, the data shows that 76.4% of respondents were aged between 18-34 years,
specifically 10 respondents aged 18-24 years and 3 respondents aged 25-34
years.
[Image
2] This chart
illustrates that 76.5% of respondents were either students (5) or in full-time
employment (8).
Shopping Habits:
[Image
3] The data above demonstrates
how people in the UK engage with new clothes and second-hand clothes. This
table highlights that 29.4% of respondents never shop online. In addition,
23.5% shop every 6 months in high street stores compared to the 5.9% that shop
often. For frequency shopping on second-hand platforms, 29.4% of respondents
said they never use these platforms, whereas 11.8% said they use them 2-3 times
a month. Lastly, only 1 person said they never shop in charity/thrift stores,
compared to the 16 others that vary in frequency from 2+ times a week to once a
year or less. In summary, this data suggests that although people are shopping
for new clothes, they are also engaging in second-hand shopping as well.
Factors Influencing Clothing Purchases:
[Image
4] This data
suggests that the quality of clothing is the biggest influence on clothing
purchases; secondly, 82.4% of respondents noted that affordability was a large
influence. One person answered the open-ended question with, ‘If I think it’s
cool’, this illustrates how subjective fashion sensitivity influences
consumers. The term
‘cool’ remains subjective; however, it does align with Ayres’ (2017) argument
that second-hand shopping offers the thrill of ‘treasure hunting’.
[Image
5] This data
highlights how more respondents are motivated to occasionally buy new clothes
due to them no longer fitting, on special occasions, and because clothing is
damaged. The relationship between clothing quality and damage suggests that
respondents prioritize durability, as only 23.5% regularly purchase new clothes
due to wear and tear.
[Image
6] This data
suggests that over half the respondents shop second-hand and more than a
quarter shop for new clothes with an awareness of the sustainability issues it
can cause. In the open-ended question, a respondent answered, “I feel
frustrated by greenwashing and think individuals make a negligible difference,
but I still avoid fast fashion on principle as it’s not something I need or
feel the want to indulge in”. This a valuable example of how to improve
questions for next time.
Second-Hand Shopping and Resale Behaviour:
[Image
7] From this data,
charity shops and Vinted are the most frequently used second-hand platforms. In
comparison, only 17.6% of respondents said they do not shop second-hand, this
suggests that most of the sample have engaged in second-hand shopping.
[Image
8] The data
demonstrates how used clothes are discarded mostly through donations to charity
shops/clothing banks or are resold online. Additionally, only one respondent
noted that used clothes were thrown away; this suggests that audiences are
conscious of sustainability and profitability.
[Image
9] From this data
it is evident that fewer people buy second-hand clothes with the intention of
reselling. Unlike Ayres (2017), this suggests people are not treating the
process of purchasing second-hand for resell profit as ‘work’. It also prompts
investigation into whether respondents have concerns about the sustainability
of second-hand shopping. For instance, have second-hand clothes been
commodified by exports from the UK to the Global South? Thus, is it a
sustainable and affordable process? (Brooks 2013).
[Image
10] This suggests
that the biggest motivation for selling second-hand clothes is to make a
profit. Rather than throwing clothes away, this allows for sustainable methods
for clearing space. Additionally, 4 respondents said they resell second-hand
clothing to afford clothes, this demonstrates that there are elements of
quality, affordability, and fashion trends, influencing audiences’ motivations
to resell. Subsequently, there is evidence of over-consumption alongside
sustainability methods for discarding used clothes.
[Image 11] With 46.2% of respondents reselling for
friends/family, this data demonstrates how profit and sustainability influence
second-hand resell behaviour. Additionally, this data suggests that more people
are engaging in second-hand shopping and resale behaviours, rather than buying
new clothes.
Financial Pressures and Changing Habits:
[Image
12] The impact of
rising living costs has caused people to buy fewer clothes overall. However,
the data also shows that it has motivated them to shop for more affordable
second-hand clothing.
Reflection:
When
designing this pilot survey, I believe the selection of three main topics of
discussion provided valuable data. The flow and relevance of each topic was broad
enough to cover all three research questions. For instance, including specific
frequency options varying from ‘2+ times a week’, to ‘never’, generated richer
data. This question established the background of consumer habits effectively.
By addressing the influences of clothing purchases, the survey opens a
discussion on motivations that set the stage for their relationship with
second-hand clothing. Furthermore, identifying how respondents engaged with
second-hand clothing and resale behaviour illustrates their relationship with
disposal and sustainable practices. Nonetheless, this also highlights a
drawback as too many topics were covered, which meant making the connection
between age and employment variables could not be thoroughly analysed.
On
reflection, this survey was effective at obtaining responses from all 17
participants in the sample. However, during the sampling stage, there should
have been more eclectic sampling. The data analysis showed that more
respondents were favouring second-hand shopping, this could be due to the
survey being distributed to a sample of respondents mostly aged between 18-34.
Due to time-constraints, the data was skewed by the limitation of locating
respondents with more diverse ages. Next time, engagement with a comparison
analysis would provide valuable insight into how age impacts respondents'
relationship with second-hand clothing.
Also,
asking respondents about the relationship between quality and the cleanliness
of second-hand clothes would be an interesting addition. Next time, ask
respondents if the hazard of dirt impacts their willingness to find rare
treasures (Ayres 2017, p. 130). Lastly, although there was an effort to avoid
leading questions, the data from [image 6] highlights how respondents
felt there were ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers. As no respondent said they ‘don’t
think about sustainability when shopping’, there were perhaps concerns for
anonymity and judgment from researcher bias.
In
summary, this pilot study has collected valuable data that address the research
questions. Nonetheless, the design process and the implications of the results
suggest that further improvements need to be developed. Most importantly,
sampling methods and comparative analysis.
References
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Survey link and copy:
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