Consumer behavior as related to personality, intelligence, age and education.

Summary.--Certain common consumer activities were related to personality, intelligence, age, and education among 236 male job applicants. Although a number of the correlation coefficients were statistically significant, all were quite low in magnitude. The results tend to confirm a number of earlier studies and are understandable in view of the myriad variables, over and above ego needs, which influence the nature and exrent of consumer behavior. Studies dealing with the reladon between consumer behavior and the personality or personal characteristics of Ss hrve, in some cases, been enlightening but in others, disappointingly unrevealing. Munn (1960) found that where automobiles and cigarettes were concerned, there was virtually no evidence that perception of brand quality varies with income, age or education. Co:%en's (1967) work indicated that aggressive males, to a greater extent than compliant ones, preferred manual over electric razors, and Old Spice over other deodorants. However, he found no relation between personality and preferences for brands of gasoline, bzer, headache remedies, or cigarettes. Vitz and Johnston (1965) revealed a low but significant correlation between the masculinity of cigarette smokers and the perceived masc~liniry of their own brand. The objective of the present srudy was to determine, among a group of adult male Ss, whether intelligence, age, education, and personality traits (as measured by the MMPI) were significantly relarcd to television viewing and the consumprion of cigarettes, aspirin products, coffee, and alcoholic beverages. Method.-The sample inclxded 236 male Caucasians between the ages of 19 and 56 who had been referred to a ps~chological consulting firm for evaluation by 36 different business firms between September, 1966, and June, 1968. Although the majority were job applicants, some were current employees being considered for promotion, Ss were relatively homogeneous from rhc standpoint of motivation, for all were tested in the same realistic employment situation and presumably were strongly motivated to perform as well as possible on the tests. As part of the evaluation, Ss were given the Oris Self-administering Test of Mental Ability and the MMPI. They w-re also required to complete an inventory from which information was obtained regardicg age, education, and consumption of the products under consideration. Ss' mean age, e~ucation, and Otis raw score were 34.5 yr., 13.9 yr., and 52.6 points, respectively, with corresponding SDs of 7.9, 2.5, and 10.9. An Otis raw score of 52.6 converts to a percentile score of approximately 82, using general adult population norms. The data were analyzed by using the product-moment method to correlate Ss' personal and personality characteristics with stated degree of product consumption. Results.-The results are summarized in Table 1, which shows the correlation coefficients among the variables undcr consideration. Some 10 of the 80 values are significant (p 4 .05), whereas on a purely chance basis only four significant values would be expected. At the same time, it is noteworthy that the highest coefficient is only .17, which, although significant (p = .01), suggests only a very modest relation between the two variables. Still, it is probably s:fe to assume that the obtained values are minimum representations of the true relationships, because many Ss undoubtedly tended to underestimate actual consumption levels so as not to impress their prospective or current employers unfavorably. Admission, for example, of excessive television viewing or heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages could easily have undesirable overtones or connotations.