Article2015

Testing three materialism life-course theories in South Africa

19 citations0/0 files storedInternational Journal of Emerging Markets

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Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification Consumer Perception and Purchasing Behavior Consumer Behavior and Market Dynamics

Abstract

Purpose – About 80 per cent of consumers in the world reside in emerging consumer markets (ECM). Thus, consumer behaviour theories and models should be tested for validation in ECM such as South Africa (socio-economically and culturally diverse). The purpose of this paper is to test three (human capital, stress and socialization) life-course theoretical perspectives on materialism among South African young adults. Employing the three life-course theoretical perspectives, it was posited that disruptive family events experienced during adolescence will affect materialism at young adulthood directly and indirectly through family resources received, perceived stress from family disruptions and peer communication about consumption. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 300 South African young adults were surveyed. Structural equation modelling was used to test eight hypotheses developed from the three life-course theoretical perspectives on materialism. Independent-samples t-test was first conducted to assess whether the respondents were materialistic. Findings – The South African young adults were found to be materialistic and this was explained by peer communication about consumption during adolescence (socialization life-course theoretical perspective). Disruptive family events experienced during adolescence significantly affected family resources negatively, and perceived stress positively, but these outcomes had no impact on materialism at young adulthood as the human capital and stress life-course theoretical perspectives suggest. Originality/value – The results reinforce the need to test the validity of western theories in an African context. The test can improve theories and can help advance knowledge about consumer diversity across cultures.

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References

2003Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies.1988On the Evaluation of Structural Equation Models 1992A Consumer Values Orientation for Materialism and Its Measurement: Scale Development and Validation 1994Economic Stress, Coercive Family Process, and Developmental Problems of Adolescents 2002The High Price of Materialism 2002Materialism and Well-Being: A Conflicting Values Perspective 1974Consumer Socialization 2001Materialistic values and well‐being in business students

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