scholarly journals Gender and Socioeconomic Class Differences in Susceptibility to Interpersonal Influence

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 1827-1832

Susceptibility to interpersonal influence is a behavioral outcome of the consumer socialization process and can affect the consumers’ purchasing decision-making process and buying behavior. There are three main antecedents to interpersonal influence on susceptibility, namely personal traits, age, and social structural variables. Factors like gender, socioeconomic class, family size, and race are considered social structural variables. This research was conducted to investigate the social structural (gender and socioeconomic class) differences in the levels of susceptibility to interpersonal influence of the population of India. The data was collected through a set of online questionnaires. The research findings indicate that there is no gender or socioeconomic class differences in the levels of susceptibility to interpersonal influence. However, when assessing each dimension of the scale separately, it was found that males are more susceptible to normative interpersonal influence than females.

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 598-618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Ridhwanul Haq ◽  
Syed H Rahman

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify how reality television (RTV) influences the socialization of teenage consumers in a developing country. While the influence of television on consumer behaviour has been researched extensively in developed countries, the effect of RTV on consumer socialization has not, particularly in the context of developing countries. Design/methodology/approach – A combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods was used to develop the theoretical model, constructs and measurement variables. The data were then analysed, and the hypotheses tested and confirmed using structural equation modelling. Findings – RTV has a positive influence on the socialization of teenage consumers in a developing country. Teenagers’ consumption-related cognition, attitude and values are strongly affected by RTV. Furthermore, their consumption-related attitude is affected by consumption-related cognition and values. Social structural variables (parental control, peer-group influences, gender differences and social class differences) have an effect on teenagers’ RTV involvement and consumer-socialization process. Originality/value – Current consumer-socialization literature identifies the role of TV in consumer socialization. However, there is very little extant literature about the role of RTV in consumer socialization, particularly from a developing-country perspective. Furthermore, in the present literature, consumption-related cognition, attitudes and values are considered outcomes of consumer socialization; however, this has not been empirically tested regarding teenagers’ involvement in RTV and its consumer-socialization outcomes. This research considers the involvement of teenagers with RTV, and the influences of various social structural variables from a developing-country perspective.


2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Jiqiang Li ◽  
Lining Sun

We examined how people's belief that human traits are either malleable or fixed—that is, mindset—can shape consumers' variety seeking through learning goal orientation. We also tested the moderating effect of susceptibility to interpersonal influence in the mindset–variety seeking relationship. Participants were 364 adults in the US, who completed a survey on mindset, variety seeking, learning goals, and susceptibility to interpersonal influence. Results show that consumers with a growth (vs. fixed) mindset were more likely to engage in variety seeking as they were more motivated by learning goals. This relationship was more evident when they cared less (vs. more) about others' approval. These findings offer new evidence for how mindset is related to consumption tendencies, provide insight into the conditions under which these relationships are stronger or weaker, and suggest that practitioners should pay more attention to mindset when they are developing marketing strategies.


Author(s):  
Ree C. Ho ◽  
Teck Choon Teo

Over the past two decades, social media has developed exponentially and significantly changed the customers' shopping behavior. Social media apps enable customers to interact with retailers and other customers closely, and influences their purchase decision. Hence, it is small wonder that businesses are investing time and resources to promote their products and brand image on social media applications. Instagram is best known for its enriched visual features in both image and footage and suitable for developing strong brand engagement. It is a viable platform for businesses to promote their products to customers. This chapter proposes a framework of product learning process with the use of Instagram. It contributes in effective management of social media marketing and provides marketers with the guidelines in using Instagram creatively to roll out customer engagement strategies.


2005 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 257-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria D. Bush ◽  
Alan J. Bush ◽  
Paul Clark ◽  
Robert P. Bush

PurposeTo investigate the influence of word‐of‐mouth (WOM) behavior among the growing teenage female market segment in the flourishing sports market.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 118 teenaged girls, aged 13‐18, participated in the study. The theory of consumer socialization and interpersonal influence was used as the conceptual foundation to generate hypotheses concerning female teens' susceptibility to interpersonal influence, self‐esteem, and WOM behavior. Female teens' ethnicity and media habits were also investigated.FindingsAll hypotheses were either supported or partially supported, suggesting that female teens' susceptibility to interpersonal influence and self‐esteem are related to athlete WOM behavior. Additionally, African‐American teenaged girls had significantly higher media habits than Caucasian teenaged girls.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is based on a small sample of teenaged girls from one region of the USA. However, the sample is from a diverse socioeconomic group of teenagers, and represents a relatively unexplored, yet extremely important, consumer market segment.Practical implicationsThe study provides insights for managers who want to learn more about the WOM behavior of one of the largest and most powerful market segments in the USA. Implications and applications are given to consumer marketers to help better serve this segment.Originality/valueThis paper fills a gap in the literature on female teens and what influences their WOM behavior in the enormous and growing sports market. Additionally, the paper looks at ethnicity and media habits and how these variables may impact on WOM behavior.


1988 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Penelope Eckert

ABSTRACTDetailed participant observation among Detroit area adolescents provides explanations for the mechanisms of the spread of sound change outward from urban areas and upward through the socioeconomic hierarchy. The use of local phonological variables in adolescence is determined by a social structure within the age cohort, dominated by two opposed, and frequently polarized, school-based social categories. These categories, called “Jocks” and “Burnouts” in the school under study, embody middle-class and working-class cultures respectively, and articulate adolescent social structure with adult socioeconomic class. Differences between Jock and Burnout cultures entail differences in social network structure and in orientation to the urban area, and hence to urban sound changes. Parents' socioeconomic class is related to, but does not determine, category affiliation, and while category affiliation is a significant predictor in phonological variation, parents' socioeconomic class is not. (Variation, sound change, adolescents, urban dialects, suburban dialects, schools)


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