IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/soinre/v108y2012i3p441-452.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Cultural and Ideological Roots of Materialism in China

Author

Listed:
  • Song Yang
  • Bruce Stening

Abstract

This study examines the role of cultural values and political ideologies in the development of materialism, and the impact of materialism on subjective well-being, in the Chinese context. A survey was conducted of 487 persons in two cities in China and the results analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings show that China’s pragmatic version of socialist ideology and certain dimensions of Chinese cultural values influence the growth of materialism. In turn, materialism associates negatively with subjective well-being. The findings both provide new empirical evidence to support previous research results and expand understanding of the basis for materialism in China. The paper discusses a number of important public policy questions arising from the results. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012

Suggested Citation

  • Song Yang & Bruce Stening, 2012. "Cultural and Ideological Roots of Materialism in China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 108(3), pages 441-452, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:108:y:2012:i:3:p:441-452
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-011-9885-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s11205-011-9885-7
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11205-011-9885-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Griffin, Mitch & Babin, Barry J. & Christensen, Finn, 2004. "A cross-cultural investigation of the materialism construct: Assessing the Richins and Dawson's materialism scale in Denmark, France and Russia," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 57(8), pages 893-900, August.
    2. Oded Shenkar & Mary Ann von Glinow, 1994. "Paradoxes of Organizational Theory and Research: Using the Case of China to Illustrate National Contingency," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 40(1), pages 56-71, January.
    3. Belk, Russell W, 1985. "Materialism: Trait Aspects of Living in the Material World," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 12(3), pages 265-280, December.
    4. Jan Delhey, 2010. "From Materialist to Post-Materialist Happiness? National Affluence and Determinants of Life Satisfaction in Cross-National Perspective," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 97(1), pages 65-84, May.
    5. Richins, Marsha L. & Rudmin, Floyd W., 1994. "Materialism and economic psychology," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 217-231, June.
    6. Ger, Guliz & Belk, Russell W., 1996. "Cross-cultural differences in materialism," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 55-77, February.
    7. Huang,Yasheng, 2008. "Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521898102, September.
    8. Xiaoling Shu & Yifei Zhu, 2009. "The Quality of Life in China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 92(2), pages 191-225, June.
    9. Richins, Marsha L & Dawson, Scott, 1992. "A Consumer Values Orientation for Materialism and Its Measurement: Scale Development and Validation," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 19(3), pages 303-316, December.
    10. Barry Naughton, 2007. "The Chinese Economy: Transitions and Growth," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262640643, April.
    11. Burroughs, James E & Rindfleisch, Aric, 2002. "Materialism and Well-Being: A Conflicting Values Perspective," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 29(3), pages 348-370, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Alfonso Urzúa & Claudia Miranda-Castillo & Alejandra Caqueo-Urízar & Franco Mascayano, 2013. "Do Cultural Values Affect Quality of Life Evaluation?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 114(3), pages 1295-1313, December.
    2. Junzhe Ji & Pavlos Dimitratos & Qingan Huang & Taoyong Su, 2019. "Everyday-Life Business Deviance Among Chinese SME Owners," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(4), pages 1179-1194, April.
    3. Fuming Jiang & Tatiana Zalan & Herman H. M. Tse & Jie Shen, 2018. "Mapping the Relationship Among Political Ideology, CSR Mindset, and CSR Strategy: A Contingency Perspective Applied to Chinese Managers," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 147(2), pages 419-444, January.
    4. Ni, Shaowen, 2021. "Collaborative consumption in China: An empirical investigation of its antecedents and consequences," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    5. Bartikowski, Boris & Cleveland, Mark, 2017. "“Seeing is being”: Consumer culture and the positioning of premium cars in China," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 195-202.
    6. He, Heping & Kukar-Kinney, Monika & Ridgway, Nancy M., 2018. "Compulsive buying in China: Measurement, prevalence, and online drivers," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 28-39.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Justyna Kramarczyk & Mathieu Alemany Oliver, 2022. "Accumulative vs. Appreciative Expressions of Materialism: Revising Materialism in Light of Polish Simplifiers and New Materialism," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 175(4), pages 701-719, February.
    2. Gong Sun & Wangshuai Wang & Zhiming Cheng & Jie Li & Junhua Chen, 2017. "The Intermediate Linkage Between Materialism and Luxury Consumption: Evidence from the Emerging Market of China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 132(1), pages 475-487, May.
    3. Bagozzi, Richard P. & Ruvio, Ayalla A. & Xie, Chunyan, 2020. "The material self," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 661-677.
    4. Liselot Hudders & Mario Pandelaere, 2012. "The Silver Lining of Materialism: The Impact of Luxury Consumption on Subjective Well-Being," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 411-437, June.
    5. Kapferer, Jean-Noël & Valette-Florence, Pierre, 2019. "How self-success drives luxury demand: An integrated model of luxury growth and country comparisons," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 273-287.
    6. Watson, John J., 2003. "The relationship of materialism to spending tendencies, saving, and debt," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 24(6), pages 723-739, December.
    7. Bushman, Robert M. & Davidson, Robert H. & Dey, Aiyesha & Smith, Abbie, 2018. "Bank CEO materialism: Risk controls, culture and tail risk," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 191-220.
    8. Shrum, L.J. & Wong, Nancy & Arif, Farrah & Chugani, Sunaina K. & Gunz, Alexander & Lowrey, Tina M. & Nairn, Agnes & Pandelaere, Mario & Ross, Spencer M. & Ruvio, Ayalla & Scott, Kristin & Sundie, Jill, 2013. "Reconceptualizing materialism as identity goal pursuits: Functions, processes, and consequences," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(8), pages 1179-1185.
    9. Kasser, Tim & Grow Kasser, Virginia, 2001. "The dreams of people high and low in materialism," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 22(6), pages 693-719, December.
    10. Jiah Yoo & Yuri Miyamoto & Uwana Evers & Julie Lee & Nancy Wong, 2021. "Does Materialism Hinder Relational Well-Being? The Role of Culture and Social Motives," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 241-261, January.
    11. Ryoo, Yuhosua & Sung, Yongjun & Chechelnytska, Inna, 2020. "What makes materialistic consumers more ethical? Self-benefit vs. other-benefit appeals," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 173-183.
    12. Kilbourne, William & Pickett, Gregory, 2008. "How materialism affects environmental beliefs, concern, and environmentally responsible behavior," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 61(9), pages 885-893, September.
    13. Dora E. Bock & Jacqueline K. Eastman & Kevin L. Eastman, 2018. "Encouraging Consumer Charitable Behavior: The Impact of Charitable Motivations, Gratitude, and Materialism," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(4), pages 1213-1228, July.
    14. Michael S. W. Lee & Christie Seo Youn Ahn, 2016. "Anti-consumption, Materialism, and Consumer Well-being," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(1), pages 18-47, March.
    15. Jaspers, Esther, 2018. "Opening up on consumer materialism," Other publications TiSEM a21cb1c8-5af1-46cc-9ea0-a, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    16. Tobacyk, Jerome J. & Babin, Barry J. & Attaway, Jill S. & Socha, Stanislaw & Shows, David & James, Kevin, 2011. "Materialism through the eyes of Polish and American consumers," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 64(9), pages 944-950, September.
    17. Andrew M. Baker & George P. Moschis & Fon Sim Ong & Ra-Pee Pattanapanyasat, 2013. "Materialism and Life Satisfaction: The Role of Stress and Religiosity," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(3), pages 548-563, November.
    18. Karabati, Serdar & Cemalcilar, Zeynep, 2010. "Values, materialism, and well-being: A study with Turkish university students," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 31(4), pages 624-633, August.
    19. Rimple Manchanda & Srikant Manchiraju & Naseem Abidi & Jitendra Kumar Mishra, 2015. "A study of interaction of materialism and money attitude and its impact on car purchase," Management & Marketing, Sciendo, vol. 10(3), pages 245-269, October.
    20. Kilbourne, William & Grünhagen, Marko & Foley, Janice, 2005. "A cross-cultural examination of the relationship between materialism and individual values," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 26(5), pages 624-641, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:108:y:2012:i:3:p:441-452. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.