title: Social-Class Differences in Consumer Choices: Working-Class Individuals Are More Sensitive to Choices of Others Than Middle-Class Individuals.
abstract: The present research shows that, when making choices, working-class Americans are more affected by others' opinions than middle-class Americans due to differences in independent versus interdependent self-construal. Experiment 1 revealed that when working-class Americans made decisions to buy products, they were more influenced by the choices of others than middle-class Americans. In contrast, middle-class Americans were more likely to misremember others' choices to be consistent with their own choices. In other words, working-class Americans adjusted their choices to the preference of others, whereas middle-class Americans distorted others' preferences to fit their choices. Supporting our prediction that this social-class effect is closely linked to the independent versus interdependent self-construal, we showed that the differences in self-construal across cultures qualified the social-class effects on choices (Experiment 2). Moreover, when we experimentally manipulated self-construal in Experiment 3, we found that it mediated the corresponding changes in choices regardless of social class.
authors.affiliation: Sogang University, Seoul, Korea jinkyung@sogang.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Jinkyung
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Na
authors.affiliation: University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA.
authors.forename: Ian M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: McDonough
authors.affiliation: University of Texas at Dallas, USA Center for Vital Longevity, Dallas, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Micaela Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: University of Texas at Dallas, USA Center for Vital Longevity, Dallas, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Denise C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012649:Self Concept; D012923:Social Class; D012938:Social Perception; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: choice; culture and self; social class; social influence