chapter 13 pt 2 Flashcards
Social class structures are important because
They strongly affect norms and values and therefore behavior
Tickle down effect
Refers to trends that start in the upper classes and then are copied by lower classes
Status float
Refers to trends that start in the lower and middle class and move upward
Social class can be determined by
income levels
Occupation and education
otehr indications (i.e. area of residence, possessions, family background and social interactions)
social class structure are not necessarily static, unchanging systems. Three of the key forces producing an evolution in social class structures in many countries are
Upward mobility
Downward obility
Social class fragmentation
Upward mobility
Raising ones social status
Downward mobility
Losing ones social status
Social class fragmentation
The disappearance of class distinctions
How does social class affect consumption
Social class is often viewed as a cause of or motivation for consumer acquisition, consumption and disposition behaviors
Conspicious consumption
Is the acquisition and display of goods and services to show off ones status
Conspicious waste
Refers to visibly buying products and services that one never uses
Voluntary simplicity
Consciously limiting their acquisition and consumption for less material, eco friendly lifestyle
What happens when goods or services become status symbols
Highly related to conspicious consumption of the notion that people often judge others on the basis of what they own. in other words, goods or sevices become status symbols, which are products or services that tell others about someones social class standing
Parody display
When status symbols move in a revers direction
When status symbols start in the lower social classes and move upwards
Fraudulent symbols
If certain status symbols become widely possessed, they can lose their status connotations and become fraudulent symbols
Compensatory consumption
Is the consumer behavior of buying products or services to offset frustrations or difficulties in life
Upper class (consumption patters of specific social classes
The upper class consumers tend to save and invest money more than members of other classes. Although many of these consumers are price-conscious, they are more ikely than other consumers to carfully research their purchases using product characteristics, not price, as an indicator of quantity
working class (consumption patterso of specific social classes)
Consumers in the working class are more likely to spend than to save, but when they do save, many choose savings accounts over investments and seek financial stability. They are more likely to judge product quality on the basis of price (higher price means higher quanitity), to shop in discount stores, and to have less product information when purchasing
Homeless consumers (consumption patterns of specific social classes)
a particularly important survival activity for hoeless consumers is scavenging, finding used or partially used goods that others have discarded. They are not helpless but rather are a “resourceful, determined and capable group that proactively deals with its lack of resources in the consumer environment”
