Mediating Effect of Materialism on the Relationship between Socialization and Consumer Decision-Making Styles

Despite the importance of materialism as an influencer of consumer value, scant research has focused on its underlying association with socialization and consumer decision-making styles (CDMS). Based on the stimulus–response model, this study examined whether the relationship between socialization and hedonistic and utilitarian types of CDMS is mediated by materialism. Survey data from a sample of 1,050 young consumers from six schools of the national capital region of India were used to test the hypothesis. Confirmatory factor analysis affirmed socialization agents, materialism and CDMS as second-order constructs. Regression analyses were used to assess mediation effects in the relationship between socialization and hedonistic and utilitarian CDMS. Results show that materialism partially mediates the relationship between socialization agents and hedonistic CDMS but fully mediates the relationship between socialization and utilitarian CDMS. The results offer implications for practice and policymakers concerning young consumers. To further generalize the findings of this study, youngsters from different age groups with varying economic backgrounds should be probed. This is the first empirical article to investigate the mediating role of materialism in the context of socialization and CDMS.

School Alienation Among Adolescents in Switzerland and Luxembourg: The Role of Parent and Peer Supportive Attitudes Toward School and Teacher Autonomy Support

Prior research has shown that socialization agents such as parents, peers, and teachers can play a significant role in adolescents’ educational outcomes, both through direct support or indirectly via supportive attitudes that foster students’ bonding to school and academic motivation. However, less is known about the effects of parent and peer supportive attitudes and teacher autonomy support on unfavorable educational outcomes such as school alienation. This study investigated the role of socialization agents in the development of school alienation among 544 secondary school students in Switzerland and 535 secondary school students in Luxembourg in grades 7 to 9. Results of structural equation modeling showed that the role of socialization agents varies across the school alienation domains and educational contexts, with peers having the most substantial impact on all three domains of alienation in both countries.

Patriotism in the system of value orientations of students: the possibilities of improving Russian state policy

The purpose of the article is to study patriotism in the system of value orientations of students, as well as tools for forming patriotic consciousness in the perspective of improving the state policy of Russia. The value core of student youth includes mainly intangible personal values; patriotism is included in the system "We are the feelings". The vulnerabilities are proposed to be leveled by changing the conceptual approaches, technologies for organizing civil and patriotic education; the complexity of the impact of various socialization agents is important. Public policy should be adjusted through monitoring of the federal cross-section as well as through the analysis of private cases of educational institutions.

The influence of consumer Socialization agents and personal attitude in the consumption of alcohol among youth in South Africa

Purpose This paper aims to estimate the effects of three socialization agents in the form of advertising exposure, parental influence and peer influence and effects of personal attitude on youth alcohol consumption behaviour in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach A structural equation model was used to test the proposed conceptual model of four hypotheses based on the validated survey data gathered from 300 youth in Johannesburg, South Africa. Findings Empirical results show that advertising, parental influence, peer influence and personal attitude has positive effects on youth alcohol consumption behaviour, with advertising and personal attitude exhibiting statistical significance on alcohol consumption behaviour. Research limitations/implications The study involves only youthful demographic in the age range of 18–35 and hence suffers from generalizability. The cross-sectional design also limits the findings with respect to time. Practical implications It provides policymakers insights into important factors to focus on changing drinking behaviour in South Africa. Social implications It also improves the understanding of how consumer socialization agents and personal attitudes affect alcohol consumption of young people in South Africa and help deal with the problem through policy changes and social marketing interventions. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to estimate three socialization agents and personal attitude of youth in alcohol consumption behaviour in an emerging market context.

Career Exploration as Social and Emotional Learning: A Collaborative Ethnography with Spanish Children from Low-Income Contexts

Children’s career exploration is a critical aspect of career development. Through it, children explore the interplay between their different life roles, including those related to work (in a broad sense), learning, and education. Through career exploration, children can (re)construct the emotions derived from the interactions between personal and contextual factors by giving meaning to life experiences. This process involves cognitive and affective activities. Evidence suggests that children from low-income contexts are more likely to drop out of school and show lower educational aspirations. Providing career exploration interventions introduces an intentional learning that allows children to develop a higher level of career awareness and increase their aspirations for the future. The sample analyzed consisted of students between 6 and 8 years old from a low-income school in Seville (Spain). The data collection methods used have been those of collaborative ethnography (e.g., unstructured interviews, student productions, and photographs). Co-analysis was the chosen method for systematizing the information used in this research. Our results have revealed a system of influences which plays an important role in the different contexts and emotions that the children derive from their interactions with different spaces and socialization agents. In short, through career exploration, children mobilize exploratory behaviors, providing emotional responses. Collaborative ethnography has been shown to be a valid process for research on career exploration as social and emotional learning.

Exploring the relationships between socialization agents, social media communication, online shopping experience, and pre-purchase search: a moderated model

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between the dimensions of the pre-purchase information search (PS) such as direction (reliance on the information sources-RIS) and pattern (reliance on the utilitarian value-RUV), moderating role of the online shopping experience (OSE), and their influence on the behavior of the socialization agents (family communication (FC), peer communication (PC), TV advertising-TVAdv, social media communication (SMC)) for buying branded apparel.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a questionnaire, and a total of 458 responses were obtained. A measurement model with the dimensions of the pre-purchase information search and socialization agents was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis. The conceptual model with hypotheses (direct and moderated effects) was analyzed using a moderated approach using Hayes Macros.FindingsThe findings confirm the significant influence of the dimensions of the PS (RIS and RUV) on the behavior of socialization agents for buying branded apparel with the strongest influence of RIS on SMC. The moderated effects of OSE between the dimensions of PS and socialization agents are found to be significant except for the relationship between RIS and FC. The direct effects of the RIS and RUV on the socialization agents are higher for consumers having high OSE and lower for consumers having low OSE.Originality/valueThe findings contribute to the growing body of literature on the PS, highlighting the importance of consumer socialization for the purchase decision of consumers in emerging markets. No previous studies have applied a psychological approach to explain the variation in the external search incorporating the dimensions like direction (RIS) and pattern (RUV), which did not receive research attention so far. This study uniquely sets a new direction for the researchers by establishing a theoretical linkage between the dimensions of PS that can act as antecedents and can significantly influence the behavior of socialization agents using the consumer socialization approach based on the social learning theory. The results reveal the strongest influence of SMC and establish the moderating role of OSE for the buying decision of branded apparel. The findings are valuable for online marketers who must acknowledge that social media is the strongest platform for reaching customers and must create a formal page for displaying their latest updates about their products and services. Marketers must engage all the family members through online contests and feedback sessions for developing trust for online shopping platforms.

The Effect of Financial Literacy, Financial Risk Tolerance, and Financial Socialization Agents on Stock Investment Decision in The Millennial Generation

This study aim to determine financial literacy, financial risk tolerance, and financial socialization agents effect/influence on stock investment decisions in the millennial generation. The research was conducted by distributing questionnaires to 400 millennial generation stock investors in Indonesia. The data analysis method by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using the SmartPLS 3.2.7 program. The results show that financial literacy has a significant effect on investment decisions. Financial risk tolerance has significant effect on investment decisions, meanwhile financial socialization agents do not have a significant effect on investment decisions.

How to empower parental responsibility: parents’ views on personalized advertising and online data collection targeting their teens

Purpose This study aims to explore whether parents perceive themselves as responsible for helping their teenage children (aged 13–17 years) cope with the persuasive effects of personalized advertising and the related process of online data collection. In addition, this study aims to examine how this parental responsibility is shaped. Design/methodology/approach A survey among parents (N = 354) of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 years was conducted. Findings Exploratory analyses showed that parents are highly concerned about their teens’ exposure to personalized advertising and online data collection, and that they consider themselves and the commercial companies behind these practices as responsible for protecting teenagers. Furthermore, the study showed that parents who believe that their children have higher levels of media skills presume less negative and more positive influences of personalized advertising on their children. The presumed negative influences increase parental concerns and responsibility, while presumed positive influences decrease parental concerns and responsibility. Originality/value Most previous studies on personalized advertising and online data collection were conducted among the teenagers themselves or discussed the regulatory framework concerning this topic. This study, however, focuses on one of the most important socialization agents that could help teenagers cope with these practices. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies to examine parents’ views regarding personalized advertising targeting teenagers and it provides insights in how parents perceive their own responsibility.

A pilot study of younger sibling adaptation: Contributions of individual variables, daily stress, interparental conflict and older sibling’s variables

Older siblings are powerful socialization agents, playing a significant role in the sociocognitive, social, and emotional development of their younger siblings. However, there are few clues about the variables that explain younger sibling’s adaptation. The objective of this pilot study was to identify the determinants of younger siblings' adaptation and to analyze the role played by personal, sibling, family and older siblings’ variables using 50 dyads of siblings aged between 7 and 18 years. The variables considered were the sibling relationships and the maladaptation of older siblings, and individual (sex, number of siblings, extroversion, and agreeableness) and contextual variables (interparental conflict, daily stress) were controlled. Hierarchical multiple regressions provided evidence in favor of the model that analyzed the younger siblings' maladaptation to school, showing positive associations both with the older siblings' level of school maladaptation and with sibling conflict. In addition, the study highlighted the relevance of the trait of agreeableness and of family stress in the adaptation of younger siblings.