Materialism and Social Consumption

Abstract

The present study examines a psychological motivator and some behaviors of the materialist. In this study, we examine a motivator that is broader than status—social consumption motivation. Four hypotheses are proposed that link materialism to social consumption motivation, opinion leadership, time spent shopping, and spending. Data were gathered from 204 adults. The analysis showed that materialism correlated significantly with social consumption motivation and a mid-range level of opinion leadership, and was a significant and important predictor of time spent shopping and spending. Results suggest that materialists are sensitive to the social acceptability and communicative ability of products and brands.