The Low Literate Consumer

Journal of Consumer Research · 2005 · Volume 32 · Issue 1

Abstract

Almost half of all consumers read below a sixth-grade level, yet we know little about how these consumers get their needs met in the marketplace. The goal of this qualitative study was to examine the intersection of literacy skills and consumption activities and identify the coping strategies that low literate consumers employ. Those informants who could challenge the stigma of low literacy and employ a range of coping skills were better able to get their needs met. Thus, consumer literacy is conceptualized as a social practice that includes reading and writing skills but also involves the ability to manage one's identity and leverage personal, situational, and social coping skills.

Keywords

Public Policy Issues, Sociological Theories/Analysis, Shopping Behavior, Group/Interpersonal Influences, Ethnography

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