Do Demographics Matter in Consumer Materialism?

Dalia Antinienė; Beata Šeinauskienė; Ausra Rutelione; Shahrokh  Nikou; Rosita Lekavičienė

doi:10.5755/j01.ee.32.4.28717

Authors

Dalia Antinienė Department of Health Psychology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences
Beata Šeinauskienė Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania
Ausra Rutelione Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania
Shahrokh Nikou Åbo Akademi University, Finland
Rosita Lekavičienė Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.32.4.28717

Keywords:

consumer materialism, age, gender, income, education

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the effects of personal characteristics such as gender, income, education and age on consumer materialism. Research hypotheses are based on both existing marketing literature and an additional integration of gender studies literature in order to further the study of materialism. By using random sampling and surveying 1000 respondents living across different regions in Lithuania, the results show signiﬁcant differences along gender, age, self-perceived relative income and education in terms of consumers’ materialistic dispositions. The study confirms that younger consumers are more inclined to materialistic values than older ones. Women differ from men on materialism centrality, as well as happiness and success measures. Regarding consumers’ self-perceived relative income, Lithuanians with low income are more prone to aspire to material possessions. Furthermore, research indicates higher rates of consumer materialism to appear among less educated individuals. This is one of the first representative studies in Lithuania revealing what effects different demographic consumer characteristics have on materialistic behaviour. Our findings have some practical implications; for example, they show that vulnerable segments of the population are more susceptible to materialism, necessitating educational policies to reduce such behavior and encourage a more responsible approach. As a result, these educational programs should be tailored to these individuals, with a greater emphasis on the risks associated with overconsumption.

Author Biographies

Dalia Antinienė, Department of Health Psychology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences

Dalia Antinienė is a Ph.D. in social sciences and is a professor at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Department of Health Psychology. She is the author of three monographs and two research studies. She has published her work in national and international conferences and research papers. Her spheres of scientific interest include EI, social competence, ego identity, cognitive abilities, etc.

Beata Šeinauskienė, Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania

Beata Šeinauskienė is an Associate Professor at the KTU School of Economics and Business. Her current research interests include the impact of cognitive coping strategies on consumer materialism and maladaptive consumption. She regularly participates in international scientific conferences and internships. Her membership in EMAC and AMA allows her to interact with marketing academics and practitioners. She has been the leader of an interdisciplinary research group focused on consumer materialism since 2016.

Ausra Rutelione, Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania

Aušra Rūtelionė is senior researcher and assoc. professor at KTU School of Economics and Business, Sustainable Management Research Group. Research interests are: consumer materialism, sustainable consumption behaviour, pro-social and pro-environmental engagement in sustainable consumption, marketing approaches for circular economy. A. Rutelione was (is) the manager or researcher of more than 30 R&D and development projects. Researcher is the member of American Marketing Association and European Marketing Association.

Shahrokh Nikou, Åbo Akademi University, Finland

Shahrokh Nikou is a Docent in Information Systems and a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Business and Economics, Åbo Akademi University and affiliated with Stockholm University. He is interested in digitalisation, higher education, digital platforms, entrepreneurship, research methods, and digital business. He has practical and academic experience in business model and business model innovation. He has published more than 80 peer-reviewed articles and is an Associate Editor in the Journal of Digital Business, AE in the Journal of Electronic Market, Section Editor in the Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, an Academic Editor of PLOSONE.

Rosita Lekavičienė, Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania

Rosita Lekavičienė is a professor at the Kaunas University of Technology (Lithuania), expert at Research Council of Lithuania, Public Institution Lithuanian Business Support Agency, and other. Currently she conducts research and creates psychodiagnostic methodologies in the field of emotional intelligence, social competence and national identity. She has published two monographs, two research studies, more than 40 scientific articles, and regularly participates in international conferences. R. Lekaviciene is a co-author of several psychology textbooks and other study literature.