Expression of consumerism towards housing among the inhabitants of Lithuanian largest cities

Abstract

The paper reveals the attitudes of Lithuanian largest cities inhabitants towards housing with respect to consumerism expression. Consumerism is understood as a human desire, intention, willingness to consume. In the case of consumerism desire and intention to consume is of crucial importance, because it is based on an assumption that not an actual consumption power and actual consumption in general but an orientation towards consumption constitutes consumerism. Thus all men have a certain degree of consumerism (as consumer culture prevails in modern societies) but humans differ in the intensity/strength of consumerism expression. The expression of consumerism is taken as an analytical instrument to deal with the attitudes towards housing. Consumerism operationalization is based on consumer culture features – materialistic values, symbolism, commodification, power to consume, well-being and good life.
The survey carried out in 2011 and repeated in 2016 brings us an empirical evidence that the attitudes towards housing differ with respect to the expression of consumerism. The fact that features of consumer culture exist in Lithuania enables us to make an assumption that consumerism is recognized in other social contexts in Lithuania.