Social comparison, imitation of celebrity models and materialism among Chinese youth

Abstract

AbstractMaterialism is an important issue, especially among young people, and especially in a Chinese context. Based on a theoretical model of the endorsement of materialistic values among Chinese youth, the objectives were to examine the influence of interpersonal communication on social comparison, and the influence of advertising viewing on imitation of celebrity models. In turn, the study examined how both social comparison and imitation of celebrity models contribute to young people's endorsement of materialistic values. A mall intercept survey of 631 young people aged 15–24 in Hong Kong revealed that peer communication and susceptibility to peer influence had strong positive relationships to engagement in social comparison. Motivation for viewing advertisements had a strong positive relationship to imitation of celebrity models. In turn, both social Additional informationNotes on contributorsKara ChanKara Chan is Professor of Communication Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University. Previously she held positions at J. Walter Thompson, as well as the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Government. Her research areas include cross-cultural consumer and advertising studies. She co-authored Advertising to Children in China (Chinese University Press) and edited Advertising and Hong Kong Society (Chinese University Press).Gerard P. PrendergastGerard Prendergast is Professor of Marketing at Hong Kong Baptist University. Previously he held positions at Aston Business School, Henley Management College and the National University of Singapore. He has published in journals such as the Journal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising Research, International Journal of Advertising, Public Relations Review and the Journal of Marketing Communications.