Deck 10: Social class and consumer behaviour

Question 1

Blue collar, grey collar and white collar, is a(an) ______ social class schema.

A) occupation
B) education
C) three-category
D) most commonly used division of

Answer 1

three-category

Question 2

When marketers use social class to develop a separate marketing mix for that group, then they would be using social class as a basis for:

A) comparison.
B) a hierarchical classification.
C) a frame of reference.
D) market segmentation.

Answer 2

market segmentation.

Question 3

Social class schemas are divided in many ways, starting from a two-category schema all the way to a _______-category social class schema.

A) five
B) six
C) nine
D) thirteen

Answer 3

nine

Question 4

The fact that some people purchase a product to show status whilst they may not purchase another product that they perceive is aimed at a social class that is beneath them indicates that social class is:

A) subjective.
B) objective.
C) indefinite.
D) hierarchical.

Question 5

Tom is studying a recently discovered PNG tribe. He is examining the ways of the tribe to determine if their society has a hierarchy of distinct status classes. Tom is interested in whether or not the tribe has a(n):

A) elected leader.
B) medicine man.
C) democracy.
D) social class.

Question 6

To many people, social class categories suggest that others are equal to them (about the same social class), superior to them (higher social class) or inferior to them (lower social class). This can also be referred to as a:

A) membership group.
B) comparative group.
C) reference group.
D) opinion leader.

Question 7

Which of the following statements regarding the use of a social class schema in Australia is not true?

A) Australia is very similar to the USA and can therefore adapt social class schema from the USA.
B) The distribution of wealth in Australia has been more even than in some other countries.
C) Social mobility has been relatively high, with fewer barriers than exist in other cultures.
D) The gap between rich and poor is widening.

Question 8

To many people, social class membership serves as a(an) _____ for the development of their attitudes and behaviours.

A) comparative group
B) reference group
C) membership group
D) opinion leader

Question 9

To say that social class membership serves consumers as a basis for the development of their attitudes and behaviour indicates that it is being used as:

A) market segmentation.
B) a reference group.
C) a hierarchical classification.
D) a behavioural factor.

Question 10

______ is defined as the division of members of a society into a hierarchy of distinct status classes, so that members of each class have relatively the same status, and members of all other classes have either more or less status.

A) A target market
B) A subculture
C) Social class
D) Maslow's hierarchy of needs

Question 11

Which of the following is not a variable used to measure social class?

A) Income.
B) Education.
C) Ethnicity.
D) Occupation.

Question 12

Which of the following statements is false?

A) Australia is the world's fifth most unequal developed nation.
B) Australians believe inequality is decreasing.
C) In Australia, the occupations of lawyer or doctor are often more highly valued than those of truck driver or cleaner.
D) People who are better educated or have more prestigious occupations generally have a higher status than people with little education or in less prestigious occupations.

Question 13

The division of the population into blue-collar and white-collar workers is called a(an) _______ social class schema.

A) two-category
B) three-category
C) occupation division
D) education division

Question 14

Lily wants to impress her friends who are coming over for afternoon tea and therefore purchases an expensive and luxurious tea set. This type of conspicuous consumption is also called:

A) social class
B) status consumption
C) social comparison theory
D) materialism

Question 15

Dividing the social class continuum into a number of social classes is also known as breaking social class into:

A) divisions.
B) portions.
C) strata.
D) groups.

Question 16

The relative ranking of members of each social class in terms of specific status factors is known as:

A) power.
B) educational attainment.
C) prestige.
D) status.

Question 17

When product usage can be correlated with a particular social class membership, then social class would be considered to be an excellent variable to use as a basis for:

A) market segmentation.
B) a hierarchical classification.
C) a frame of reference. d comparison.

Question 18

The demographic (socioeconomic) variable that is not generally used to define one's status is:

A) family income.
B) occupational status.
C) educational attainment.
D) location of residence.

Question 19

Researchers often measure social class in terms of status. Which of the following is not considered a status factor?

A) Wealth.
B) Power.
C) Culture.
D) Prestige.

Question 20

Researchers often measure social class in terms of:

A) income.
B) power.
C) social status.
D) upward mobility.

Question 21

A single-variable index of objective measures of social class uses just one ______ variable to evaluate social-class membership.

A) geodemographic
B) socioeconomic
C) psychographic
D) personality

Question 22

Jerry determined social class by selecting community 'informants' and having them make social class judgments of others. Jerry used a(n):

A) non-systematic measure.
B) subjective measure.
C) reputational measure.
D) objective measure.

Question 23

In the _______ to measuring social class, individuals are asked to estimate their own social class position.

A) subjective approach
B) reputational approach
C) behavioural approach
D) objective approach

Question 24

Which of the following statements about reputational measures of social class is false?

A) The reputational approach for measuring social class requires selected community informants to make judgments concerning the social class membership of others within the community, rather than themselves.
B) Occupational status is based on reputational measures of prestige.
C) Sociologists have employed the reputational approach to obtain a better understanding of the specific class structures of communities under study.
D) Reputational measures of social class are used extensively by researchers and marketers due to their practicality.

Question 25

Which of the following is not a typical variable to be included in the objective approach of social class measurement?

A) Income.
B) Education
C) Occupation.
D) All of the above are typical objective variables.

Question 26

The opportunity for a marketer to match socioeconomic profiles of their target audiences to the audience profiles of selected advertising media is made possible when social class is determined using:

A) non-systematic measures.
B) invalid measures.
C) reputational measures.
D) objective measures.

Question 27

When the inputs of postcode and residence-neighbourhood information are added to socioeconomic factors, the resulting variables are described as:

A) geodemographics.
B) demographics.
C) psychographics.
D) lifestyles.

Question 28

To reach a desired target market, researchers using objective measures to measure social class match the ______ profiles of their target audience to the audience profiles of selected advertising media.

A) geodemographic
B) socioeconomic
C) psychographic
D) personality

Question 29

In the _____ approach to measuring social class, individuals are asked to estimate their own social class positions.

A) subjective measures
B) reputational measures
C) behavioural measures
D) objective measures

Question 30

Ron was uncomfortable segmenting on the basis of social class alone. A marketing consultant agreed and suggested that he incorporate into his analysis the variable of:

A) education.
B) lifestyle.
C) occupation.
D) geodemographics.

Question 31

When selected community informants make initial judgments concerning the social class membership of others within the community, rather than themselves, the method of measuring social class being employed is a(n):

A) reputational measure.
B) subjective measure.
C) non-systematic measure.
D) objective measure.

Question 32

In the subjective measure approach to social classification, most respondents have a tendency to classify themselves in the ______ class.

A) upper
B) middle
C) lower
D) working

Question 33

The major shortcoming of the subjective measure of social class is that it:

A) is self-reported.
B) is subjective.
C) is what people perceive.
D) overstates the middle class.

Question 34

The feeling of social group membership amongst consumers is often referred to as:

A) subjective norm.
B) class consciousness.
C) self-perception.
D) objective norm.

Question 35

The ______ approach for measuring social class requires selected community informants to make initial judgments concerning the social class membership of others within the community.

A) subjective measures
B) reputational measures
C) behavioural measures
D) objective measures

Question 36

Sam was preparing a questionnaire designed to help classify individuals by their social class. The questionnaire asked the individual's occupation, income and education, as well as some geodemographic information. Sam was using:

A) non-systematic measures.
B) invalid measures.
C) reputational measures.
D) objective measures.

Question 37

Systematic approaches for measuring social class fall into all of the following categories except:

A) subjective measures.
B) reputational measures.
C) behavioural measures.
D) objective measures.

Question 38

In an effort to determine the social class of a group of people, Thomas asked group members which social class they believed they were in. Thomas had employed a(n):

A) objective measure.
B) subjective measure.
C) non-systematic measure.
D) reputational measure.

Question 39

______ is a widely accepted single-variable index and is probably the best-documented measure of social class because it reflects occupational status.

A) Income
B) Education
C) Occupation
D) Wealth

Question 40

In contrast to other methods, which require people to evaluate their own class standing or that of other community members, _______ of social class consists of selected demographic or socioeconomic variables concerning the individual(s) under study.

A) non-systematic measurement
B) objective measurement
C) reputational measurement
D) valid measurement

Question 41

A composite-variable index of objective measures of social class uses a number of _____ factors to evaluate social-class membership.

A) geodemographic
B) socioeconomic
C) psychographic
D) personality

Question 42

The Index of Status Characteristics is a weighted measure of all the following socioeconomic variables except:

A) occupation.
B) source of income.
C) dwelling area.
D) amount of income.

Question 43

An important thing for households to consider is their _____-that is, the amount of income that is left over after the necessities of life (e.g. rent, rates, food, clothing, power bills, transport to work, repayments) have been paid for.

A) combined income
B) primary income
C) disposable income
D) gross income

Question 44

Researchers who favour income as a measure of social class use either amount of income, or ______ as an indicator.

A) value of assets
B) source of income
C) amount given to charity
D) number of homes owned

Question 45

Rose had decided to use a single-variable index to measure social class. If she is going to use the best-documented measure, she will employ:

A) income.
B) age.
C) geodemographics.
D) occupation.

Question 46

Which of the following scales uses a consumer's possessions as an indicator of their social class?

A) The A-G Classification.
B) Chapin's Social Status Scale.
C) Sociologist Scale.
D) None of the above.

Question 47

Research exploring consumers' perception of mail and phone order shopping reveals that the higher the socioeconomic status, the _____ are the consumers' ratings of mail and phone order buying relative to in-store shopping.

A) less positive
B) more positive
C) more negative
D) none of the above

Question 48

The single variable of _____ can reveal a lot about one's social class. It serves as a guide in sizing up others.

A) income
B) education
C) occupation
D) wealth

Question 49

_____ is used as a measure of social class. It focuses on the presence of certain items of furniture and accessories in the living room and the condition of the room.

A) The Rokeach Value Survey
B) The participant observer
C) Chapin's Social Status Scale
D) Level of materialism

Question 50

The Index of Status Characteristics is an example of a(the):

A) multi-trait, multi-factor index.
B) single-variable index.
C) Chapin's Social Status Scale.
D) composite-variable index.

Question 51

Other variables such as the quality of the neighbourhood and dollar-value of the residence:

A) are frequently used as sole measures of social class.
B) are used primarily to verify one of the primary single-variable measures.
C) have no value in the determination of social class.
D) are gaining increasing acceptance as valid single-variable measures.

Question 52

When it comes to in-store shopping:

A) upper-class consumers preferred it to mail shopping.
B) lower-class consumers preferred it to magazine shopping.
C) upper-class consumers viewed it positively in comparison to magazine shopping.
D) lower-class consumers viewed it negatively in comparison to magazine shopping.

Question 53

The ability to move up in one's social class standing from the class position held by their parents is popularly termed:

A) upward mobility.
B) reward movement.
C) positive relocation.
D) incentive activity.

Question 54

Although a blue-collar plumber and a white-collar high school principal may both earn $100 000 a year, because of social class differences, they may spend that income in different ways. How they spend their income reflects their different:

A) values.
B) amounts.
C) sources.
D) method of payment.

Question 55

Which of the following statements is not true?

A) Status and prestige in social class based on reputation in Australia can exist independent of income and education.
B) Marketers frequently think in terms of specific occupations when defining a target market for some products.
C) When utilising just one single-variable index, marketers advise the use of education as it is probably the best-documented measure of social class.
D) Generally speaking, the more education people have, the more likely it is that they are well paid and hold an admired or respected position.

Question 56

Generally, there seems to be a close association between the commonly used single-variable indexes of occupation, income and:

A) geodemographics.
B) psychographics.
C) education.
D) lifestyle.

Question 57

The United States Bureau of Census developed the Socioeconomic Status Score, which combines all of the following basic variables except:

A) occupation.
B) family income.
C) dwelling area.
D) educational attainment.

Question 58

The A-G classification systematically combines a number of socioeconomic factors to form one overall measure of social class standing and is an example of:

A) composite-variable index.
B) single-variable index.
C) Chapin's Social Status Scale.
D) multi-trait, multi-factor index.

Question 59

Chapin's Social Status Scale depends largely on one's:

A) quality of neighbourhood.
B) dollar-value of residence.
C) possessions.
D) square footage of residence.

Question 60

________ is a composite measure of status that has been used periodically by consumer researchers. It combines measures of education, occupational prestige, area of residence and income.

A) Socioeconomic Status Score
B) Coleman's computerised Status Index
C) The Index of Status Characteristics
D) Composite-Variable Index

Question 61

Members of specific social classes differ in terms of what they consider fashionable or in good taste. For instance, lower-middle class consumers prefer:

A) t-shirts and caps with no logos to identify the maker.
B) clothing with a subtle look, where the logos are not obvious.
C) t-shirts and caps that offer an external point of identification, such as a team, a valued trademark or a respected brand name.
D) Country Road clothing.

Question 62

In Asia, there is mounting evidence that the middle-class is:

A) increasing rapidly.
B) slowly disappearing.
C) too large for marketers to handle.
D) ageing.

Question 63

As compared to the lower class, a member of the higher classes would be more likely to:

A) use language that reflects regional differences in terminology.
B) prefer to read romance stories.
C) describe their experiences from a number of different perspectives.
D) prefer to watch situation comedies.

Question 64

Broadband Internet usage and increased leisure activities are typical of which consumer?

A) The middle class consumer.
B) The affluent consumer.
C) The lower-middle class consumer.
D) The lower-class consumer.

Question 65

'Birds of a feather flock together' is the underlying rationale for _____ clustering.

A) demographic
B) geographic
C) psychographic
D) geodemographic

Question 66

Which of the following would have the greatest success with a member of the lower class as opposed to a member of the upper class?

A) An insurance salesman.
B) An estate planner.
C) A fundraiser for the local Scout hall.
D) A VISA card advertising a lower annual percentage rate.

Question 67

Many of the present generation of university students are forecasted to 'not do as well' as their parents. If this proves to be correct, then they will be facing:

A) upward mobility.
B) enhanced mobility.
C) lateral mobility.
D) downward mobility.

Question 68

The affluent market is currently defined as those with annual household incomes that are:

A) $60 000-plus.
B) $70 000-plus.
C) $80 000-plus.
D) none of the above.

Question 69

Juliet enjoys playing bridge, going to the theatre and attending university football games. Using only leisure-time social class characteristics as a basis to classify, Harriet would most likely be a member of the:

A) lower-lower class.
B) upper-lower class.
C) lower-middle class.
D) upper class.

Question 70

Compared to the lower-class consumer, an upper-class consumer's leisure activities tend to be:

A) more cognitive.
B) less expensive.
C) more time-consuming.
D) more physical.

Question 71

Compared to an upper-class consumer, a lower-class consumer would be more likely to enjoy:

A) watching television.
B) fishing.
C) football.
D) all of the above.

Question 72

Two opportunities necessary for people to believe that the chance exists for upward social class mobility are:

A) self-improvement and self-advancement.
B) self-development and self-advancement.
C) self-development and self-improvement.
D) self-satisfaction and self-improvement.

Question 73

In Australia, there is mounting evidence that the middle class is:

A) slowly disappearing.
B) increasing rapidly.
C) too large for marketers to handle.
D) ageing.

Question 74

For upward mobility to be a motivator, there must be a perceived possibility for:

A) income.
B) education.
C) occupation.
D) self-advancement.

Question 75

Tim enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle whilst growing up with his parents who were affluent white-collar workers. However, when growing up Tim was not able to maintain this social class position. Tim is said to face:

A) upward mobility.
B) downward mobility.
C) lateral mobility.
D) mobility loss.

Question 76

Which of the following social classes is more likely to go fishing?

A) Working class.
B) Upper-middle class.
C) Middle class.
D) Lower class.

Question 77

As compared to the lower class, a member of the upper class would be more likely to:

A) invest in insurance.
B) save for the purpose of security.
C) seek more immediate gratification.
D) owe outstanding money on their credit card.

Question 78

Sally believed that she had the opportunity to improve her social class standing through hard work. Sally obviously believed in the opportunity for:

A) income enhancement.
B) education improvement.
C) occupational status.
D) upward mobility.

Question 79

Tommy Hilfiger jeans would be most preferred by:

A) lower-middle-class consumers.
B) upper-middle-class consumers.
C) upper-class consumers.
D) working-class consumers.

Question 80

Marketers that subscribe to the view that individuals of a certain social class will live close to similar individuals should explore:

A) geodemographics.
B) sociogeographics.
C) geosocioeconomics.
D) psychographics.