Status Consumption in Consumer Behavior: Scale Development and Validation

Abstract

This paper describes the development and validation of a short, reliable, and valid self-report scale to measure status consumption, the tendency to purchase goods and services for the status or social prestige that they confer on their owners. Items were written to reflect the conceptual meaning of the construct. Six studies were conducted to purify the scale and demonstrate its unidimensionality, internal consistency, validity, and freedom from response bias. The resultant scale measures an individual difference construct distinct from social class or materialism. Differences in self-reported status consumption are also shown to be positively correlated with ownership of brands reputed to be higher in status than competing brands.