Normative effect of economic inequality: empirical evidence about conspicuous consumption (Efecto normativo de la desigualdad económica: evidencias empíricas sobre el consumo conspicuo)

Abstract

Economic inequality has negative consequences at different levels. At the individual level, it may affect social perception and configure specific features that may generate a normative climate. The current research’s main goals were (a) to analyse the effects of inequality on the attributions of others’ consumer behaviour and (b) to provide empirical evidence about how inequality configures normative consumer habits focusing on luxury consumption. This work includes three preregistered experimental studies. In Study 1 ( N = 276) and Study 2 ( N = 301), we used a between-participants design with two experimental conditions (high vs. low inequality). In Study 3, we reversed the order of the variables to identify whether luxury consumption triggered expectations about the levels of inequality in a specific context. Results showed that in high (vs. low) economic inequality settings, participants inferred more materialism, status-seeking, status anxiety and conspicuous consumption in others. Furthermore, luxury consumption became a predictor of economic inequality. Thus, economic inequality affects attribution processes and works as a clue to infer descriptive norms in a society.