In this segment, you will learn what
materialism is, how it affects consumption
in China, and the reason for the popularity
of materialism in China.
Materialism affects consumer choices,
but so do other values.
For example, individualism and its
attendant emphasis on self-expression
are regarded as core values
in capitalist economies.
Popularity of individualist values in a
country is an indicator of how much the
country has accepted capitalist practices.
To illustrate how a characteristic value in
China can affect Chinese consumers'
choices, in this segment I will focus
on materialism.
As mentioned in the previous segment,
we will use scientific findings from the
consumer research we carried out at
The Chinese University of Hong Kong to
address these issues,
instead of relying on our commonsense.
We, at the I.C.E Lab,
have carried out a cross-national survey
on consumption behaviors.
The participants in this survey are over
600 consumers from the US and China.
They completed standardized measures
of consumer values and experiences.
These measures have been shown to be
reliable and valid in published research.
Our respondents also reported their
consumption habits and attitudes towards
luxury brands, counterfeit products, and
mixing of cultures in consumer products.