Deck 4: The Changing American Society: Demographics and Social Stratification

Question 1

A household's purchasing power is a function of which of the following?

A) income and accumulated wealth
B) age and gender
C) income and education
D) occupation and income
E) social class and education

Answer 1

A
Explanation: A household's purchasing power is a function of income and accumulated wealth.

Question 2

Which of the following is strongly associated with occupation?

A) income
B) education
C) age
D) A and B
E) A, B, and C

Answer 2

D
Explanation: One's occupation provides status, education, and income information.

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a reason the population of the United States has grown steadily since 1960?

A) longer life expectancies
B) increasing birth rate for most of the period between 1960 and today
C) immigration
D) baby boomers moving through child-bearing years
E) All of the above are reasons the population of the United States has grown.

Answer 3

B
Explanation: The population has grown steadily since 1960 despite birthrates that were on a strong decline through the mid-1970s and birthrates that have been relatively steady since.

Question 4

Harriett wants to describe the population of a new market in which her firm wishes to enter. She wants to describe the population in terms of its size, distribution, and structure. Which of the following should she use?

A) psychographics
B) behaviorgraphics
C) censographics
D) demographics
E) geographics

Question 5

Which of the following statements regarding age is TRUE?

A) Proper age positioning is critical for many products.
B) Age affects a consumer's self-concept and lifestyle.
C) Our age shapes the media we use.
D) Analyzing age cohort groups or generations often provides more meaningful segments and marketing strategies than merely looking at census age groups.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 6

Which of the following statements regarding education is FALSE?

A) Education is increasingly critical for a "family wage" job.
B) Traditional high-paying manufacturing jobs that required relatively little education are rapidly disappearing.
C) Education clearly drives income in today's economy.
D) Education does not influence how one thinks, makes decisions, and relates to others.
E) Education has a strong influence on one's tastes and preferences.

Question 7

Digital savvy consumers are leading-edge digital users who are early adopters and diffusers of information related to technology in terms of ____.

A) Internet usage
B) technology ownership
C) cell phone usage
D) A and B
E) all of the above

Question 8

When comparing income levels by education and gender, which of the following is TRUE?

A) Men and women earn about the same income if they have the same education.
B) The difference between men and women on earnings occurs mostly at the lower education levels.
C) The difference between men and women on earnings occurs mostly at the higher education levels.
D) Men earn more than women at each level of education.
E) Women earn more than men at each level of education.

Question 9

Age, gender, education, occupation, and income are examples of _____ variables.

A) demographic
B) holographic
C) geographic
D) psychographic
E) censographics

Question 10

Approximately what percentage of the U.S. population has a high school degree?

A) 25 percent
B) 40 percent
C) 50 percent
D) 75 percent
E) 87 percent

Question 11

Approximately what percentage of the U.S. population has completed college?

A) 30 percent
B) 43 percent
C) 50 percent
D) 75 percent
E) 87 percent

Question 12

Budweiser is a popular brand of beer. Part of this company's market research of U.S. consumers looked at education levels of beer consumers. What education level is the likely consumer of beer (that with highest propensity to buy and consumer beer) to have attained?

A) did not graduate high school
B) graduated high school
C) attended college
D) graduated college
E) none of the above

Question 13

Which of the following is the most widely applied single cue we use to initially evaluate and define individuals we meet?

A) age
B) income
C) occupation
D) gender
E) education

Question 14

An estimate by the consumer of how much money he or she has available to spend on nonessentials is known as _____.

A) objective discretionary income (ODI)
B) adjusted gross income (AGI)
C) adjusted discretionary income (ADI)
D) subjective discretionary income (SDI)
E) subjective gross income (SGI)

Question 15

What is the movement called in which companies have expanded opportunities for less affluent consumers to afford luxury?

A) mass to class
B) class to mass
C) more to all
D) one for all
E) all for one

Question 16

The Martins' household income is $123,000 per year. However, this family estimates that they have $45,000 available to spend on nonessentials such as vacations and entertainment. The $45,000 represents the Martins' _____.

A) objective discretionary income (ODI)
B) adjusted gross income (AGI)
C) adjusted discretionary income (ADI)
D) subjective discretionary income (SDI)
E) subjective gross income (SGI)

Question 17

Which of the following is TRUE regarding the size and distribution of the population of the United States?

A) The population of the United States is approximately 250 million today.
B) The population has grown steadily since 1960 due to birthrates that have always been on the increase.
C) The growth has not been even throughout the United States.
D) Midwest states, such as Michigan and Illinois, are expected to grow dramatically in the next 10 years.
E) The population of the United States has continued to decrease since 1960.

Question 18

What is the approximate population of the United States today?

A) 100 million
B) 249 million
C) 320 million
D) 350 million
E) 498 million

Question 19

Which of the following describes a population in terms of its size, distribution, and structure?

A) geographics
B) psychographics
C) demographics
D) censographics
E) behaviorgraphics

Question 20

Juan is interested in knowing occupational influences on purchases of satellite radio systems. Which of the following occupations are most likely to purchase this type of product?

A) wholesale and retail trade
B) professional, scientific and technical
C) mining and construction
D) A and C
E) all of the above

Question 21

Gertrude is 93 years old, but she perceives herself to be about 65 years old. Sixty-five is Gertrude's _____ age.

A) felt age
B) real age
C) cognitive age
D) perceptual age
E) chronological age

Question 22

Sam is a healthy 75-year-old man. He is a retired attorney; has a substantial retirement income; and is a member of several social groups that travel, help others, and encourage life-long learning. Which of the following is most likely true about Sam?

A) Sam's cognitive age is less than 75.
B) Sam's cognitive age is 75.
C) Sam's cognitive age is greater than 75.
D) Sam's cognitive age is 50.
E) Sam's cognitive age is 85.

Question 23

Xavier was born in 1940. He was too young to remember World War II, and he matured during the prosperous years of the 1950s and early 1960s. His favorite singer was, and still is, Elvis Presley. To which generation does he belong?

A) pre-Depression generation
B) Depression generation
C) baby boom generation
D) Generation X
E) Generation Y

Question 24

Which generation is NOT part of the mature market?

A) pre-Depression
B) Depression
C) Generation X
D) baby boom
E) All of the above are part of the mature market.

Question 25

Which of the following is a segmentation approach to the mature market that incorporates aging processes and life events related to the physical health and mental outlook of older consumers?

A) gerontographics
B) cognitive psychology
C) demographics
D) ageographics
E) censographics

Question 26

Which generation "invented" rock and roll and grew up with music and television as important parts of their lives?

A) pre-Depression generation
B) Depression generation
C) baby boom generation
D) Generation X
E) Generation Y

Question 27

Individuals born before 1930 belong to which generation?

A) pre-Depression generation
B) Depression generation
C) baby boom generation
D) Generation X
E) Generation Y

Question 28

_____ deals with the mature market and is based on the theory that people change their outlook on life when they experience major life events such as becoming a grandparent, retiring, losing a spouse, or developing chronic health conditions.

A) Demographics
B) Gerontographics
C) Cognitive psychology
D) Cohort analysis
E) Generational analysis

Question 29

A(n) _____ is a group of persons who have experienced a common social, political, historical, and economic environment.

A) census age group
B) age cohort
C) cognitive group
D) chronological group
E) demographic group

Question 30

Which of the following variables is associated with cognitive age?

A) health
B) education
C) income
D) social support
E) all of the above

Question 31

Elsie and her two sisters are all in their mid- to late- 60s. They are part of the _____ market.

A) Generation X
B) mature
C) generational
D) gerontological
E) aging

Question 32

Maria is analyzing the baby boom generation by describing and explaining its attitudes, values, and behaviors as well as predicting its future attitudes, values, and behaviors. Maria is conducting a _____ analysis.

A) cohort
B) generational
C) demographic
D) census
E) cognitive

Question 33

Which age category is expected to experience the largest percentage increase between 2010 and 2020?

A) <10
B) 20-29
C) 40-49
D) 60-69
E) >69

Question 34

Which of the following is a segment of mature consumers?

A) Healthy Indulgers
B) Ailing Outgoers
C) Healthy Hermits
D) Frail Recluses
E) all of the above

Question 35

_____ is the process of describing and explaining the attitudes, values, and behaviors of an age group as well as predicting its future attitudes, values, and behaviors.

A) Census analysis
B) Demographic analysis
C) Generation analysis
D) Cognitive analysis
E) Cohort analysis

Question 36

One's perceived age, a part of one's self-concept, is known as _____.

A) felt age
B) real age
C) cognitive age
D) perceptual age
E) chronological age

Question 37

Procter & Gamble is a major consumer packaged goods manufacturer. Which age category provides the greatest opportunity for P&G in terms of growth between 2010 and 2020?

A) <10
B) 20-29
C) 40-49
D) 60-69
E) >69

Question 38

Which cohort was born between 1930 and 1945?

A) pre-Depression generation
B) Depression generation
C) baby boom generation
D) Generation X
E) Generation Y

Question 39

Consumers 55 years of age and over constitute the _____ market.

A) baby boom
B) mature
C) generational
D) gerontological
E) aging

Question 40

Harold was born in 1923. He entered young adulthood during World War II and served in the Navy during that war. He has witnessed radical social, economic, and technological change in his lifetime. To which generation does he belong?

A) pre-Depression generation
B) Depression generation
C) baby boom generation
D) Generation X
E) Generation Y

Question 41

Which generation was born between 1965 and 1976?

A) Generation Z
B) Depression generation
C) baby boom generation
D) Generation X
E) Generation Y

Question 42

Which of the following is true regarding the baby boom market?

A) Boomers are tech savvy.
B) Boomers are empty nesters who are downsizing.
C) Boomers are retiring early and wealthy.
D) Boomers have the same values and outlook.
E) Boomers are self-centered.

Question 43

This segment of mature consumers has accepted their old-age status and has adjusted their lifestyles to reflect reduced physical capabilities and social roles.

A) Healthy Indulger
B) Ailing Outgoer
C) Healthy Hermit
D) Frail Recluse
E) Ailing Hermit

Question 44

John was born in 1955, and he has only known prosperity in his lifetime. He remembers when President Kennedy was assassinated, primarily because his family purchased their first color television not long after that event. While he remembers the Vietnam War, he was too young to be drafted. To which generation does he belong?

A) pre-Depression generation
B) Depression generation
C) baby boom generation
D) Generation X
E) Generation Y

Question 45

People in this group retain their physical health, but life events (i.e., death of a spouse) have reduced their self-concept, and they become withdrawn.

A) Healthy Indulgers
B) Ailing Outgoers
C) Healthy Hermits
D) Frail Recluses
E) Ailing Indulgers

Question 46

Which segment of mature consumers is physically and mentally healthy and is thus active, independent, and out to enjoy life?

A) Healthy Indulgers
B) Ailing Indulgers
C) Ailing Outgoers
D) Frail Recluses
E) Healthy Hermits

Question 47

The children of the original baby boomers are known as _____.

A) the baby bust generation
B) Generation X
C) Generation Y
D) Generation Z
E) the Millennial generation

Question 48

Robert and his wife, Jan, were both born in the 1950s. The last of their three children will graduate from college soon, which is leaving them with increased discretionary income and time. To which generation do Robert and Jan belong?

A) pre-Depression generation
B) Depression generation
C) baby boom generation
D) Generation Z
E) Generation Y

Question 49

Which of the following is a reason more baby boomers continue to work longer than previous generations?

A) necessity due to a low income of some baby boomers
B) necessity due to a poor pension plan
C) necessity due to changes in Social Security increasing the age at which full benefits can be drawn
D) increased desire to stay active in interesting and rewarding careers
E) all of the above

Question 50

Which boomer segment, identified by Focalyst, is highly connected with friends and community, which may explain their positive outlook?

A) yesterday
B) today
C) tomorrow
D) futurists
E) optimists

Question 51

Which generation is considered to be more self-centered, individualistic, economically optimistic, skeptical, suspicious of authority, and focused on the present than other generations?

A) pre-Depression generation
B) Depression generation
C) baby boom generation
D) Generation X
E) Generation Y

Question 52

The largest, most diverse generational segment is ____.

A) Generation X
B) Generation Y
C) Generation Z
D) baby boomers
E) tweens

Question 53

Which generation was the first to gain a very broad view of a family, which may include parents, siblings, stepparents, half-siblings, close friends, live-in lovers, and others?

A) Depression generation
B) baby boom generation
C) Generation X
D) Generation Y
E) Millennials

Question 54

Which generational term refers to those individuals born during the dramatic increase of births (i.e., almost 80 million baby births) between the end of World War II and 1964?

A) pre-Depression generation
B) Depression generation
C) baby boom generation
D) Generation X
E) Generation Y

Question 55

Nick was born in 1972. As long as he can remember, his mother worked outside the home. When he was 12, his parents divorced, which was hard on him, but the same thing happened to several of his friends. When both of his parents remarried, his view of a family changed to include all of his stepsisters and brothers. To which generation does he belong?

A) Generation Z
B) Depression generation
C) baby boom generation
D) Generation X
E) Generation Y

Question 56

Which generation is both cynical and sophisticated about products, ads, and shopping?

A) Generation Y
B) Generation X
C) baby boom
D) echo boom
E) boomerang

Question 57

Individuals born between 1977 and 1994 belong to which generation?

A) baby boom
B) Generation X
C) Generation Y
D) Generation Z
E) Millennial generation

Question 58

Amie was born in 1991. Her mother is a college professor, and her father is an attorney. She's not sure what she wants to do when she grows up, but she knows she will go to college and embark on a career of her own. She was amazed when her grandmother told her that women really couldn't do that when she was young. If a woman did work, choices were usually limited to becoming a teacher, a secretary, or a nurse. Her grandmother told her that she was a secretary, but after she started having children, she left the workforce and stayed home to raise her children, which was common for most women at that time. That concept was totally foreign to Amie. To which generation does she belong?

A) baby boom
B) Generation X
C) Generation Y
D) Generation Z
E) Millennial generation

Question 59

_____ have experienced health problems that limit their physical activities, but their positive outlook means they remain active within physical constraints.

A) Healthy Hermits
B) Ailing Indulgers
C) Ailing Outgoers
D) Frail Recluses
E) Healthy Recluses

Question 60

Roger is an adult who has moved back in with his parents. He doesn't believe in sacrificing time, energy, and relations to the extent he sees older workers do for the sake of career or economic advancement. He has a master's degree but does not want to work for a large corporation. To which generation does Roger most likely belong?

A) pre-Depression generation
B) Depression generation
C) baby boom generation
D) Generation X
E) Generation Y

Question 61

Which social class consists of individuals who are poorly educated, have very low incomes, and work as unskilled laborers?

A) lower-lower class
B) upper-lower class
C) working class
D) lower-middle class
E) middle class

Question 62

Stephanie is 17 and belongs to the high school drill team. One of her best friends is Bobby, the team manager who is openly gay. Which label is appropriate for Stephanie?

A) tween
B) Generation Z
C) Generation X
D) young adult
E) gay friendly teen

Question 63

Late adolescents and early teens are known as _________.

A) little kids
B) big kids
C) tweens
D) Generation X
E) young adults

Question 64

The newest generation born after 1994 is referred to as _____.

A) the baby boom generation
B) Generation X
C) Generation Y
D) Generation Z
E) tweens

Question 65

Placing ads in video games is known as _____.

A) video advertising
B) integrated advertising
C) advergaming
D) message integration
E) entertainment integration

Question 66

Nouveaux riches are most commonly associated with the _____.

A) upper-middle class
B) middle class
C) lower-upper class
D) upper-upper class
E) none of the above

Question 67

Which term describes consumers' purchase and use of automobiles, homes, yachts, clothes, and so forth primarily to demonstrate their great wealth?

A) conspicuous consumption
B) outrageous consumption
C) obnoxious consumption
D) nouveaux consumption
E) "blue blood" consumption

Question 68

Generation Y is sometimes referred to as the _____.

A) baby bust generation
B) echo boom
C) boomerangs
D) baby boomlet
E) step-boomers

Question 69

Which social class consists of skilled and semiskilled factory, service, and sales workers?

A) upper-middle
B) middle class
C) working class
D) upper-lower class
E) lower-lower class

Question 70

Which social class has low incomes and minimal education, may be unemployed for long periods of time, and is the major recipient of government support and services provided by non-profit organizations?

A) lower-lower class
B) upper-lower class
C) working class
D) lower-middle class
E) middle class

Question 71

Carl is a physician earning $300,000 per year. Using the Coleman-Rainwater system, identify the social class to which Carl belongs

A) upper-upper.
B) lower-upper.
C) upper-middle.
D) middle.
E) working.

Question 72

Earl did not complete high school and works as a janitor at two jobs. His income is very low, and he does not possess any skills to help him get a better paying job. Which social class best describes Earl?

A) lower-lower class
B) upper-lower class
C) working class
D) lower-middle class
E) middle class

Question 73

The more consistent an individual is on all status dimensions, the greater the degree of _____ for the individual.

A) status maturity
B) status permanence
C) status inflexibility
D) status crystallization
E) status flexibility

Question 74

A hierarchical division of a society into relatively distinct and homogeneous groups with respect to attitudes, values, and lifestyles is known as a _____.

A) social stratum
B) social class system
C) caste system
D) social continuum
E) societal ranking

Question 75

Buzz is a self-employed construction worker. He is proud of his ability to do "real work" and sees himself as the often-unappreciated backbone of America. He dislikes the upper-middle class and prefers products and stores positioned toward his social-class level. Which term best describes Buzz?

A) working-class stiff
B) "blue blood" class
C) white-collar worker
D) working-class aristocrat
E) no-collar worker

Question 76

Erin is 12 years old. Which label is appropriate for Erin?

A) little kid
B) big kid
C) Generation X
D) Generation Z
E) young adult

Question 77

The upper-middle class achieve their social position primarily _____.

A) through their unusually high incomes
B) by their occupation and career orientation
C) through inherited position
D) through their children's accomplishments
E) none of the above

Question 78

Which social class consists of office workers, schoolteachers, lower-level managers, plumbers, and factory supervisors?

A) upper-middle
B) working class
C) lower class
D) middle class
E) lower-lower class

Question 79

One's position relative to others on one or more dimensions valued by society is known as one's _____.

A) societal rank
B) social status
C) social standing
D) social sphere
E) social realm

Question 80

What two basic approaches are used to measure social status?

A) primary and secondary measures
B) single-item and multi-item indexes
C) position and status measures
D) income and occupation indexes
E) income and education measures