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University of Chicago Press Journals


Emulating Western lifestyles: Consumption and carbon footprints in less industrialized countries

A new study examines the consumption attitudes of upper-middle-class women in Turkey, finding two distinct class fractions with different consumption strategies based on childhood socialization. The more educated group focuses on Western lifestyle emulation, while the less-educated group prioritizes Turkish status symbols.

SourceUniversity of Chicago Press Journals·JournalJournal of Consumer Research·DateNov 17, 2009

Study: Teachers' unions don't provide more pay

A recent study by Cornell economist Michael Lovenheim found that teachers' unions have little impact on school districts' allocation of money, including teacher pay and spending per student. Unionization was linked to an increase in the number of teachers employed, but this effect was offset by increases in student enrollment, resultin...

SourceUniversity of Chicago Press Journals·JournalJournal of Labor Economics·DateOct 20, 2009

Confidence may not be convincing when recommending products or services

A recent study found that expressing uncertainty can make recommendations from experts more influential than those from novices. The researchers conducted three experiments and found that participants were more surprised by reviews from novice reviewers who expressed certainty and from expert reviewers who expressed uncertainty.

SourceUniversity of Chicago Press Journals·JournalJournal of Consumer Research·DateOct 13, 2009

Will this trip be exciting? Consumers respond best to vacation ads that match current emotions

A study in the Journal of Consumer Research found that consumers respond best to vacation ads that match their current emotions, whether it's excitement or relaxation. The researchers suggest that marketers can facilitate a positive impression by displaying products in contexts where pre-existing feelings align with the product's claims.

SourceUniversity of Chicago Press Journals·JournalJournal of Consumer Research·DateOct 13, 2009