HOMEAbout Peer Influence Studies
Studies showed that materialism is higher in children who communicate with peers more frequently (Churchill & Moschis, 1979; Moschis & Churchill, 1978) and who are more susceptible to their influence (Achenreiner, 1997). Children who often communicate with peers about consumption may indicate their status of anxiety and the need for peer approval (Chan, 2009).
Susceptibility to peer influence reflects a willingness to comply with the wishes of others (normative influence) and a willingness to accept and internalize information from others (informative influence). It also reflects a person’s need to identify or enhance one’s image with significant others through material possessions (Bearden, Netemeyer, & Teel, 1989).
Normative peer influence is measured by three items:
- It is important that my friends like the products and brands I buy.
- I only buy those products and brands that my friends will approve of.
- I like to know what products and brands make a good impression on my friends.
Informative peer influence is measured by three items:
- I look at what my friends are buying and using before I buy something.
- If I don’t have a lot of experience with a product, I often ask my friends about it.
- I usually ask my friends to help me choose the best product.
Social comparison
According to Festinger’s social comparison theory (Festinger, 1954), people have a drive to evaluate themselves by comparison with others when objective means are not available. The theory hypothesizes that comparison occurs within groups and in other face-to-face situations. Other scholars have hypothesized that comparison is made between people who belong to different social groups (Merton, 1957). Individuals can decide to compare themselves with others who are worse off (downward comparison) to bolster their self-esteem, with others who are better off (upward comparison), or with idealized media images (Schiffman & Kanuk, 2004). Richins (1991) suggests that individuals can also engage in social comparison with people that they do not have personal contacts, such as models in advertisements.
Social comparison with friends on consumption is measured by the responses to the following two statements:
- I pay attention to what my close friends buy.
- I pay attention to friends who are richer than me, and see what they buy.
References
- Achenreiner, G. B. (1997). Materialistic values and susceptibility to influence in children. Advances in Consumer Research, 24, 82-88.
- Bearden, W. O., Netemeyer, R. G., & Teel, J. E. (1989). Measurement of consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence scale. Advances in Consumer Research, 17, 770-776.
- Chan, K. (2009). Growing up in Macao: A study of materialistic values among children and adolescents. Unpublished research report submitted to Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government, October.
- Churchill, G. A., & Moschis, G. P. (1979). Television and interpersonal influences on adolescent consumer learning. Journal of Consumer Research, 6(June), 23-35.
- Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7(2), 117-140.
- Mangleburg, T. F., & Bristol, T. (1998). Socialization and adolescents’ skepticism toward advertising. Journal of Advertising, 27(3), 11-21.
- Merton, R. K. (1957). Social theory and social structure. Glencoe, IL: Free Press.
- Moschis, G., & Churchill, G. A., Jr. (1978). Consumer socialization: A theoretical and empirical analysis. Journal of Marketing Research, 15(November), 599-609.
- Richins, M.L. (1991). Social comparison and the idealized images of advertising. Journal of Consumer Research, 18(1), 71-83.
- Schiffman, L. G. & Kanuk, L. L. (2004). Consumer behavior (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
