A Study On The Cultural Values And Consumption Styles Of Modern Tertiary Students In Guangzhou

As a result of the rapid economic growth in recent years, Chinese consumers' purchasing power has greatly increased. China cannot be ignored as a market of primary importance in the present world. Among the Chinese population, modem tertiary students constitute a large market segment that attracts great attention from both market researchers and practitioners.One factor that greatly influences consumer behavior is culture, and people with different life experiences may be different in terms of cultural values. Modern tertiary students, grown up in a substantially different social setting from that of the previous generations, might hold different cultural values and consequently exhibit different consumption patterns. This thesis, applying perspectives of generational cohort theory within sociology, cultural dimensions and acculturation within intercultural communication, as well as consumer socialization within consumer psychology, aims at discovering and thus better understanding modern tertiary students' cultural values and consumption styles. In turn, these findings should help businesses that target at the market segment.The current study utilized a quantitative approach with data collected through questionnaire which was designed according to relevant literature review. Modern tertiary students' two cultural dimensions -individualism/collectivism (IDV) and long-term orientation (LTO), and their consumer decision-making styles were measured. Convenience sampling involved a total of 380 modern tertiary students from five higher education institutes in Guangzhou and a sum of 80 people from different walks of life of the previous generations. After data screening, 316 effective student responses and 55 usable reference responses were obtained. The data were then processed with SPSS11.5. Independent-samples t-test and frequency distribution were employed in the data processing. The findings reveal that the tertiary students in Guangzhou, living in the Chinese context and at the same time being influenced by the American culture, are fundamentally stable and enduring relying on the traditional Chinese culture, but meanwhile they are taking on the American cultural traits and consumption styles. Similar to the previous generations, they adhere to the core collectivistic values such as subordinating personal needs to collective welfare and the fundamental long-term oriented values like perseverance, patience, and thrift. Contrasted with the previous generations, they have a strong tendency toward individualism and a slight divergence from the long-term orientation. They are more self-centered, stress personal expressiveness and personal achievement, and put a premium on individual enjoyment; they do not relate pains to gains so much as the previous generations do. As for consumption patterns, they are generally similar to the previous generations with some unique features which reflect their cultural values. There is a strong resemblance in the search for good quality and the saving for the future. However, compared with the previous generations, tertiary students prefer outstanding dressing, are more easily tempted by flubdub advertisements and deem shopping as an enjoyable activity.Modern Chinese tertiary students are big consumers in the present China. The findings of the current study may provide a guide for marketers who are targeting at or would like to target at the group. Furthermore, being a portion of the Chinese consumers, the changes in their cultural values and consumption styles may to a certain extent reflect the trend of future Chinese consumption.