The construction of normal expectations: A case study on consumption drivers

Summary in the original language of the document

The gradual upward changes of standards in normal everyday life have heavy environmental implications, and it is therefore important to study how these changes come about. The intention of the paper is to analyse the social construction of normal expectations through a case study. The case concerns the present boom in bathroom renovations in Denmark, which offers an excellent opportunity to study the interplay between a wide variety of consumption drivers and social changes pointing towards long-term changes of normal expectations regarding bathroom standards. The study is problem-oriented and transdisciplinary and draws on a wide range of sociological, anthropological and economic theories. The empirical basis comprises a combination of statistics, a review of magazine and media coverage, visits to exhibitions, and qualitative interviews. A variety of consumption drivers are identified, and the contours of the emerging normal expectations are outlined and discussed in an environmental perspective.