Deeper sociological insight needed for behaviour change: A systematic review of Chinese ivory consumption

Journal article : Review

Chinese consumer demand for ivory threatens vulnerable African elephant populations, despite long‐standing efforts to combat the illegal wildlife trade. Behavioural science approaches have been proposed to address these systemic behaviours. However, their robust use remains uncommon in demand management interventions. A culturally nuanced, psychological and sociological understanding of the behaviours driving ivory consumption is essential for effective behaviour change. We conducted a qualitative systematic literature review in English and Chinese to understand the drivers and barriers of Chinese ivory consumption. We sought to understand ivory acquisition, possession and disposal behaviours through purchase, gifting and inheritance practices. Our final review included 13 articles from the academic and grey literature. After inductive thematic analysis, we deductively applied UNICEF's Behavioural Drivers Model to support practitioner applications. Building on the limitations highlighted, we additionally deductively explored ivory consumption through a Consumer Culture Theory lens to assess ivory subcultures and market identities. Ivory consumption is driven by a mix of social, cultural and economic factors, and the degree to which each influences consumption behaviour is not well understood. Better understanding of Chinese social norms that affect individual and collective gifting behaviours could lead to more effective strategies to change behaviour. Most research focuses on purchase and does not address the underlying motivations for gifting and personal collecting to an extent that establishes actionable insight for behavioural interventions. Moreover, inheritance and bequeathing of ivory are not explored in the literature. This limits our understanding of the importance of familial and sentimental values and evolving generational values of ivory for consumers. Effecting demand for wildlife products requires diverse interventions aimed at different consumer groups to target different underlying motivations that shape consumer behaviour. If behaviour change interventions do not integrate evidence‐based behavioural insights into their design, it is unlikely they will successfully achieve their aims. Understanding social and cultural determinants of different consumer groups' behaviour is a critical component of designing effective behaviour change interventions for conservation outcomes. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Authors: Brown, MRC; Gao, S; Wells, VK; Beale, CM

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Wiley
• Journal: People and Nature
• Publication date: 2026-01-07
• Acceptance date: 2025-10-24
• DOI: 10.1002/pan3.70218
• EISSN: 2575-8314
• ISSN: 2575-8314
• Language: English
• Keywords: ivory; behaviour change; consumer culture theory; illegal wildlife trade; consumer demand
• Subtype: Review