Exploring the materialism construct in the context of low-income consumers in the city of Sao Paulo

Abstract

In Brazil, the study of materialism as deined by Belk (1985) or by Richins and Dawson (1992) has been neglected, despite its centrality in the consumer behavior literature. In this paper,two of the main materialism scales available are observed to measure this construct and to test their applicability in the context of low-income consumers in the city of São Paulo. Comparisons based on pilot samples showed that the Richins’ materialism scale (2004) is better adapted to the target population of this study than Belk’s scale (1985). Tests of the relationship between materialism and socio-demographic variables, based on a household probabilistic sample of 450 low-income consumers that live in poor neighborhoodsin the city of São Paulo, reveal coherent results with those of past studies, despite the difference in socio-demographic, economic and cultural environments. In conclusion, it is suggested that the investigation of materialism is conducted in other Brazilian social segments. Moreover, inter-cultural studies are recommended.