Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which black Generation Y students’ exhibit status consumption, materialism and consumer ethnocentrism tendencies, and the relationship between these three constructs. The black Generation Y cohort (individuals born between 1980 and 1994) represents a large percentage of the South African market, and those enrolled at tertiary institutions constitute a particularly attractive target market to marketers given that tertiary education were correlated with higher earning potential and status. A convenience sample of 400 students across the campuses of four South African public higher education institutions situated in the Gauteng Province was taken. Questionnaires, designed to measure black Generation Y students’ attitudes towards status consumption, materialism and consumer ethnocentrism, were hand delivered to lecturers at each of these campuses who requested to ask their students to complete them. The collected data were analysed using z-tests and Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient. The findings suggest that the target market has significant materialism, status consumption and ethnocentrism tendencies. A strong positive relationship was found between the constructs of materialism and status consumption. However, there was no significant relationship found between the respective constructs of materialism and status consumption, and that of consumer ethnocentrism.

Key words: Materialism, status consumption, consumer ethnocentrism, black Generation Y students.