Mapping the Landscape of Research on Consumer Altruism: A Bibliometric Analysis of Trends and Future Research Directions

Abstract

Consumer altruism has gained prominence with the rise of ethical consumption, corporate social responsibility and sustainability-driven markets.  This bibliometric analysis aims to map intellectual structure, key trends and influential works on consumer altruism using data from the Scopus database. For this purpose, a total of 608 papers were included, published between 1981 to 2024. The papers were analysed using techniques such as co-citation analysis, co-authorship analysis and keyword co-occurrence analysis using VOSviewer version 1.6.20 and Biblioshiny version 4.3.2 software. Findings reveal an uneven research trajectory, with slow and uneven publication trends up till 2019. Most of the articles are single country authored with the USA leading the publication count followed by China. The study also and highlights the most prolific authors, institutions and journals, as well as the evolution of core themes. By offering insights into the field’s development, this study serves as a foundational reference for scholars seeking to advance knowledge in this domain.