Economic inequality increases the preference for status consumption
07/02/2022
Prior research has shown the relationship between objective economic inequality and searching for positional goods. It also investigated the relationship between social class and low income with conspicuous consumption. However, the causal relationship between economic inequality (the difference in wealth between individuals and groups living in a shared context and consumer behavior) has been less explored. Furthermore, there are also few studies looking for the psychological mechanisms that underlie these effects.
Andrea Velandia Morales, Rosa Rodríguez y Rocio Martinez, members of CIMCYC and the Laboratory of Social Psychology of Inequality, have dared to investigate different aspects that had not been done before. The current research's main goal was to analyze the consequences of perceived economic inequality (PEI) on conspicuous and status consumption and the possible psychological mechanisms that could explain its effects. Furthermore, the current research aimeds to examine whether there was a causal relationship between PEI and materialism preferences and attitudes toward indebtedness.
This work includes two preregister experimental studies. In the Study 1, they manipulated PEI and its legitimacy through a 2 (high vs. low inequality) × 2 (Illegitimate vs. legitimate) between-participants experiment. Results showed a main effect of PEI on status consumption, status seeking, status anxiety, materialism, and attitude toward indebtedness. No interaction effect between legitimacy and inequality was found.
In the Study 2, they manipulated the PEI through the Bimboola Paradigm.The effect of PEI on status consumption was reproduced, status seeking, and materialism and found that status seeking mediated the relationship between PEI and status and conspicuous consumption. Economic inequality affects consumer behavior and favors consumption preferences for products that provide desirable symbolic values associated with status. These results could have important implications in the interpersonal and intergroup processes, including those related to consumption and purchase.
Complete references:
Velandia-Morales A, Rodríguez-Bailón R, Martínez R. Economic Inequality Increases the Preference for Status Consumption. Front Psychol. 2022 Jan 7;12:809101. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.809101. PMID: 35069397; PMCID: PMC8777289.
Contact:
- Andrea Velandia Morales: avelandia@ugr.es
- Rosa María Rodríguez Bailón: rrbailon@ugr.es
- Rocío Martínez Gutiérrez: mrocio@ugr.es