Who is Allowed to Conspicuously Consume? Investigating the Permissibility of Conspicuous Consumption and Its Motivations by Socioeconomic Status

Abstract

Low-income consumers are evaluated harshly for everyday purchases, yet little research has examined how this extends to conspicuous consumption, the purchase and display of luxury or status-signaling goods. The present research investigated the perceived permissibility of conspicuous consumption across socioeconomic groups, as well as the acceptability of nine literature-supported motivations underlying such consumption. Across four online studies with U.S.-based adult participants (total N = 1,005), consumption decisions were judged as significantly more acceptable when made by high-SES individuals than by low-SES individuals, regardless of purchase type. Among the nine motivations examined, reflecting personal tastes and individuality was rated as the most acceptable reason for conspicuous consumption across both SES conditions, while projecting a higher socioeconomic status was consistently rated as the least acceptable. Conspicuous consumption by low-SES individuals was judged as generally permissible regardless of whether a justification was provided. These findings replicate and extend the work of Hagerty and Barasz (2020) beyond everyday goods to those more strongly associated with wealth and status, contributing to a growing body of research on the intersection between socioeconomic status and the moral evaluation of consumption.