The Influence Of Status Anxiety On Conspicuous Consumption And Its Mechanism

In the context of China’s accelerating transformation and change,changes and uncertainties in the public’s social status and resource allocation have deepened,so that individuals usually have higher expectations and more anxiety about their status and position,which in turn have an impact on their subsequent consumption behaviour.Based on the current social environment,the growing trend of China’s luxury consumption market and the current status anxiety of individuals,this study investigates the influence of status anxiety on the tendency of conspicuous consumption,as well as the mediating role of self-enhancement in it and the moderating role of self-efficacy,by combining the perspective of individual motivation.Study 1 used a questionnaire to measure status anxiety,conspicuous consumption,self-enhancement motivation and self-efficacy in 109 validated subjects.The results showed that status anxiety significantly positively predicted conspicuous consumption inclination,and self-enhancement motivation played an intermediary role.The higher the status anxiety,the higher the self-enhancement motivation,and status anxiety leads to the rise of conspicuous consumption tendency through self-enhancement motivation.In this mechanism,self-efficacy moderates the effect of status anxiety on selfenhancement motivation.Under the condition of high self-efficacy,the selfenhancement motivation of status anxious individuals is significantly higher than that of low status anxious individuals,but under the condition of low self-efficacy,there is no significant difference in the self-enhancement motivation of high and low status anxious individuals.Study 2 used a single-factor intersubject experimental design to divide status anxiety into three levels and measure the conspicuous consumption tendency,selfenhancement motivation and self-efficacy of the subjects.With the help of an online experimental platform,166 valid subjects’ data were collected.The results once again tested the significant positive effect of status anxiety on conspicuous consumption,that is,individuals with high status anxiety are more inclined to conspicuous consumption.Self-efficacy plays a moderating role in the influence of status anxiety on selfenhancement motivation.The interaction between status anxiety and self-efficacy plays a mediating role through self-enhancement motivation,and then affects conspicuous consumption.A moderating mediation model is established.Study 3 used a 2(status anxiety/control)×3(authentic self-enhancement/control/consumption self-enhancement)between-subjects design and collected data from 224 validated subjects to measure subjects’ propensity to consume conspicuously.The results showed that consumption self-enhancement increased conspicuous consumption tendency,while true self-enhancement decreased conspicuous consumption tendency.But there was no significant difference in conspicuous consumption tendency among status anxiety groups.The interaction between status anxiety and self-enhancement had no significant effect on conspicuous consumption tendency.This study uses different methods to reveal the mechanism of status anxiety on conspicuous consumption,and discusses the "dark" and "light" effects of selfenhancement on conspicuous consumption,in order to better guide individuals to play the role of self-motivation,rationally adjust consumption behaviour and alleviate status anxiety.