An Examination of the Relationships between Materialism, Consumer Ethnocentrism and Cosmopolitanism in Romania

Abstract

Over the last years, East European consumers seem to have become more and more “modern”, demanding and complex, endorsing the fact that major changes happen in consumer evolution of developing ex-communist countries. As well as in other East European countries, Romania too experiences a trend of rapid, major changes.

At the same time, increasing levels of materialism are associated with periods and places undergoing rapid social and cultural change. Researchers agree that materialism is neither unique to western cultures nor related to affluence. From this perspective, in Romania, the deprivations under communism cultivated ample feelings of legitimate deservingness, and materialism has quickly been accepted by consumers.

In general, materialism values and individuals are seen negatively, considered bad or even evil. Materialism is seen as a false path to happiness via consumption, a weakness arising from insecurity, a type of harmful competition for status through possessions, and a valuation of things over people. Despite these negative connotations of materialism, studies show increasing consumption patterns and aspirations that appear as highly materialistic. In research, Romanians were the least likely to see materialism as a weakness, stressing the utilitarian aspects of materialism in which goods are purchased to accomplish tasks, and possessions are seen as means to an end.

The literature describing the materialism levels for the Romanian market seems to be outdated; the present study intends to update the knowledge regarding Romanian consumers’ materialism levels.