A research on the relationship between socioeconomic variables and conspicuous consumption

While the volume of consumption is growing worldwide every year, the purpose of consuming goods and services has transcended mere functionality for individuals. Many goods and services are now consumed to gain social status. This type of consumption is referred to as conspicuous consumption, and Thorstein Veblen introduced The Theory Of The Leisure Class in his work. Although it is commonly believed that conspicuous consumption is practiced primarily by individuals from higher social classes, Veblen argues that individuals from all segments of society engage in conspicuous consumption. Today, people from different socioeconomic backgrounds share their leisure activities, hobbies, past travel experiences, and different foods they try in order to showcase their lifestyle to others. The aim of this study is to examine conspicuous consumption in the context of different socioeconomic variables. The study will first explore the evolution of consumption from the industrial revolution to the present, followed by the establishment of a conceptual framework for conspicuous consumption. In the final part of the study, a survey was conducted on 302 people residing in the Eskişehir province. The study used t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and two way ANOVA analyses to test the formulated hypotheses. According to the research results, there is a significant difference in conspicuous consumption trends among individuals based on home ownership status, employment sector, marital status, and age groups. However, there is no statistically significant difference based on educational attainment, income, and gender variables In addition, while men at the lowest income level doing more conspicious consumption than women, singles with bachelor's degrees doing more conspicious consumptios than married people, and married people with college degrees doing more conspicious consumptios than singles.