Spending attitudes of consumers: Pilot studies in French and English Canada

Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science · 1975 · Volume 3 · Issue 1

Abstract

Pilot studies of consumer spending attitudes were conducted in Vancouver in 1970 and Quebec City in 1973. Responses to a set of bi-polar scales designed after the semantic differential indicate a 50/50 split between modern and traditional spending attitudes for the French-speaking sample from Quebec City. English-speaking respondents in Vancouver showed a 60/40 split on the modern spending side. The strongest responses to the modern end of the scales for both camples were to the phrases: “I love to spend money” and “spending gives me a lift.” Two traditional phrases which received strong support were: “When I spend money I am very careful” and “I find it less painful to pay cash than to charge it.” More modern spending attitudes were found to be associated with higher social class, more education and, to some extent, more optimism about future financial prospects in both samples. Lower incomes and lower status occupations were related to more traditional spending attitudes in the French-speaking sample. Age, family life cycle stage, marital status and sex did not seem to differentiate spending attitudes.

Keywords

Quebec City, Consumer Credit, American Market Association, Traditional Attitude, High Social Class

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