Economic exclusion of older consumers in Poland in the context of consumer culture theory

Abstract

According to the National Strategy of Social Integration for Poland, older persons constitute one of the social categories particularly susceptible to exclusion. This is mainly due to the fact that retirement in Poland is frequently connected with a deterioration of an older persons’ financial situation. At the same time it should be noted that in the next years the segment of older persons is going to form an increasingly larger part of the Polish society, which means senior persons are becoming an increasingly attractive market segment. This segment is going to be important for many businesses not only due to its increase in size, but also to its quality-related features including: high loyalty, attachment to brands and products, risk avoidance, and the stable structure of needs. In this context, the aim of the paper is to identify the market behaviours of older consumers in Poland and to attempt to explain them based on the assumptions of the consumer culture theory (in the light of authors’ own empirical research). Due to the specificity of the researched group and the sensitive nature of the research problems, it was decided to use narrative analysis – respondents (students of the Third-Age University (UTW) in Bialystok) were asked to write ethnographic essays.