Economic Inequality Shapes Judgments of Consumption

Economic inequality affects not only individuals’ judgments and behavior in their own lives, but also those individuals’ judgements and behavior toward others—both people and firms. First, the consumption decisions of others are often evaluated through a moral lens, such that lower‐income consumers...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of consumer psychology 2022-01, Vol.32 (1), p.162-164
Main Authors: Hagerty, Serena F., Barasz, Kate, Norton, Michael I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Economic inequality
Interpersonal judgments
Materialism and conspicuous consumption
Public policy issues
Social influence and norms
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Summary:Economic inequality affects not only individuals’ judgments and behavior in their own lives, but also those individuals’ judgements and behavior toward others—both people and firms. First, the consumption decisions of others are often evaluated through a moral lens, such that lower‐income consumers are held to more negative, restrictive standards of what is acceptable to purchase. Second, firms that perpetuate inequality among their employees or their customers—through unequal pay or unequal services—are viewed negatively. We discuss the implications of economic inequality shaping people’s moral scrutiny of others. This article is part of a Research Dialogue: Shrum (2022): https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1274 Goya‐Tocchetto & Payne (2022): https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1277 Ordabayeva & Lisjak (2022): https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1276
ISSN:1057-7408
1532-7663
DOI:10.1002/jcpy.1275