Linkages Between Materialism and Young People's Television and Advertising Exposure in a US Sample

Abstract

The message to consume appears not only in advertising, but also in much of television content. The present study examines the roles that television exposure, advertising recognition, and family communication play in stimulating materialism in children. We also examine the relationship between materialism and contentedness. A survey administered to 212 children aged 10–14 demonstrated that television exposure, advertising recognition, trust in advertising, and consumer communication each predict materialistic values. Concept-oriented family communication did not moderate the relationship between advertising/television and materialism. Higher levels of television exposure predicted lower levels of contentedness, but materialism was not related to contentedness.