College Students' Attitudes Toward the Act of Gambling: Influence From Consumer Socialization Agents

Abstract

Gambling is now considered to be an increasingly mainstream recreational and leisure time activity. While the gaming industry is experiencing phenomenal growth, it is not without controversy. The prevalence of gambling has brought the issue of youth gambling to the forefront. In this study, we examined which socialization agents were most influential in the development of college students' attitudes about gambling. Consumer socialization literature defines the role of socialization agents in developing attitudes toward various behaviors. Further, we investigated the relationship between amount of influence from each socialization agent and college students' attitude toward the act of gambling. Findings suggest that parents provide more influence on college students' attitudes about gambling than did peers, media, or schools. Significant relationships were found between the amounts of parental or peer influence and college students' attitude toward the act of gambling.

KEYWORDS:

• college students
• gambling
• services
• socialization

Notes

^a Pairs significant at .05 or less.

^b Mean.

*p < .05. **p < .001.

Note. Mean of numbers 1 − 4 is the amount of influence received about gambling from each socialization agent: 1 (little or no influence) to 5 (a great deal of influence). Mean of number 5 (attitude toward the act of gambling) is based on a 7-point semantic differential scale.

*p < .05. **p < .001.

Valentine (2008).

Gross gambling revenue is the amount wagered minus the winnings returned to players, a true measure of the economic value of gambling (American Gaming Association, 2009).

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