DEMOGRAFIC DETERMINANTS OF CONSUMERISM
DEMOGRAFIC DETERMINANTS OF CONSUMERISM

Summary/Abstract: Consumerism is a global social phenomenon that developed with development of consumer society. It is characterized by excessive consumption above real needs, which is justified by economic progress. In the consumerist world, stimulating consumption is vital for an economy because it contributes to the growth of gross domestic product. Since there is no objective need for consumers to have so many products and services, consumption is being presented through advertising mechanisms as something that is necessary and above all needed. The media, through advertising messages, seek to remove the feeling of guilt among consumers by linking consumption with a sense of happiness, satisfaction, belonginess and status in society. This made consumerism a very important sociocultural environmental factor, which fundamentally changed the way all businesses operate by placing the customer at the centre of all business decisions. Consumerism as a phenomenon depends, among others, of demographic and other characteristics of consumers such as age, gender, working status, income. The aim of this paper is to analyse influence of demographic characteristic to consumerism behaviour of consumers in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The results of the research showed that a significant number of customers in Bosnia and Herzegovina show signs of consumerist behaviour, which is mainly stimulated by unplanned and unnecessary purchases at discounts, as well as emotions related to shopping. Consumerist behaviour of the respondents shows that there is statistically significant association between gender and consumer behaviour only but not between age or working status or average monthly income and consumer behaviour.

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