A Revised Examination of Materialism and Conspicuous Consumption Among Young Chinese Adults

With the growing rise of China's economic and spending power, it is increasingly important to understand the implication of these developments on consumer behaviors.  This study examines materialism and conspicuous consumption in China today and compares these variables with data from 2008. Utilizing survey data sets from 2016 and 2008, this study examines the rise of materialism and conspicuous consumption in post-revolution China and the differences among young adult consumers, aged 18–39. The study uses ANOVA and F-test to compare the two data sets. Surprisingly, we found that materialism and conspicuous consumption has significantly decreased among young adult consumers. Additionally, we found no significant differences in the variables of gender and marital status in young adult Chinese consumers.  The study suggests that conspicuous consumption and materialism growth may have been arrested. This project was made possible by funding from F&M's Hackman Summer Scholars Program.