An Exploratory Comparison of Materialism and Conspicuous Consumption in Pakistan

ABSTRACT

This exploratory research examines materialism and conspicuous consumption in a developing Asian nation, Pakistan. While Pakistan has not enjoyed the same momentum of its neighbor India in terms of economic growth, the nation is quickly growing and many of its citizens have greater spending power and increased abilities to buy western style goods, including luxury brands. We present some basic analysis on dispositions towards materialism and its related variables, specifically related to young adults living in the nation. Additionally we compare materialism and conspicuous consumption levels with young U.S. adults. Results show that young U.S. consumers are significantly higher in nearly all utilized measures of both materialism and conspicuous consumption.

KEYWORDS:

• Materialism
• conspicuous consumption
• Pakistan consumer behavior