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The Role of Spiritual Well-Being and Materialism in Determining Consumers’ Ethical Beliefs: An Empirical Study with Australian Consumers

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Abstract

A survey was conducted to investigate the relationship of Australian consumers’ lived (experienced) spiritual well-being and materialism with the various dimensions of consumer ethics. Spiritual well-being is composed of four domains—personal, communal, transcendental and environmental well-being. All four domains were examined in relation to the various dimensions of consumers’ ethical beliefs (active/illegal dimension, passive dimension, active/legal dimension, ‘no harm, no foul’ dimension and ‘doing good’/recycling dimension). The results indicated that lived communal well-being was negatively related to perceptions of the active/illegal dimension and the passive dimension and was positively related to perceptions of the ‘no harm, no foul’ dimension and the ‘doing good’/recycling dimension. Lived personal well-being was negatively related to perceptions of the active/illegal dimension and was positively related to perceptions of the ‘no harm, no foul’ dimension and the ‘doing good’/recycling dimension. Lived transcendental well-being was negatively related to perceptions of the passive dimension, the active/legal dimension and the ‘no harm, no foul’ dimension. Lived environmental well-being was negatively related to perceptions of the active/legal dimension and the ‘no harm, no foul’ dimension. The findings also indicated that materialism was positively associated with perceptions of actively benefiting from illegal actions, passively benefiting at the expense of the seller, actively benefiting from questionable but legal actions and benefiting from ‘no harm, no foul’ actions. Public policy implications of the findings and opportunities for future research are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Business, School of Business, Bond University, Gold Coast, QLD, 4229, Australia

    Rafi M. M. I. Chowdhury

  2. School of Management and Marketing, Faculty of Commerce, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia

    Mario Fernando

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  1. Rafi M. M. I. Chowdhury
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  2. Mario Fernando
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Correspondence to Rafi M. M. I. Chowdhury.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Measurement scale for spiritual well-being (Fisher 1999; Gomez and Fisher 2003)

Lived Communal Well-Being

  1. 1.

    You feel that developing love for other people reflects your personal experience most of the time.

  2. 2.

    You feel that developing forgiveness towards others reflects your personal experience most of the time.

  3. 3.

    You feel that developing trust between individuals reflects your personal experience most of the time.

  4. 4.

    You feel that developing respect for others reflects your personal experience most of the time.

  5. 5.

    You feel that developing kindness towards other people reflects your personal experience most of the time.

Lived Transcendental Well-Being

  1. 1.

    You feel that developing a personal relationship with the Divine/God reflects your personal experience most of the time.

  2. 2.

    You feel that developing worship of the Creator reflects your personal experience most of the time.

  3. 3.

    You feel that developing oneness with God reflects your personal experience most of the time.

  4. 4.

    You feel that developing peace with God reflects your personal experience most of the time.

  5. 5.

    You feel that developing prayer life reflects your personal experience most of the time.

Lived Personal Well-Being

  1. 1.

    You feel that developing a sense of identity reflects your personal experience most of the time.

  2. 2.

    You feel that developing self-awareness reflects your personal experience most of the time.

  3. 3.

    You feel that developing joy in life reflects your personal experience most of the time.

  4. 4.

    You feel that developing inner peace reflects your personal experience most of the time.

  5. 5.

    You feel that developing meaning in life reflects your personal experience most of the time.

Lived Environmental Well-Being

  1. 1.

    You feel that developing a connection with nature reflects your personal experience most of the time.

  2. 2.

    You feel that developing awe at a breathtaking view reflects your personal experience most of the time.

  3. 3.

    You feel that developing oneness with nature reflects your personal experience most of the time.

  4. 4.

    You feel that developing harmony with the environment reflects your personal experience most of the time.

  5. 5.

    You feel that developing a sense of ‘magic’ in the environment reflects your personal experience most of the time.

Ideal Communal Well-Being

  1. 1.

    Developing love for other people is important for an ideal state of spiritual health.

  2. 2.

    Developing forgiveness towards others is important for an ideal state of spiritual health.

  3. 3.

    Developing trust between individuals is important for an ideal state of spiritual health.

  4. 4.

    Developing respect for others is important for an ideal state of spiritual health.

  5. 5.

    Developing kindness towards other people is important for an ideal state of spiritual health.

Ideal Transcendental Well-Being

  1. 1.

    Developing a personal relationship with the Divine/God is important for an ideal state of spiritual health.

  2. 2.

    Developing worship of the Creator is important for an ideal state of spiritual health.

  3. 3.

    Developing oneness with God is important for an ideal state of spiritual health.

  4. 4.

    Developing peace with God is important for an ideal state of spiritual health.

  5. 5.

    Developing prayer life is important for an ideal state of spiritual health.

Ideal Personal Well-Being

  1. 1.

    Developing a sense of identity is important for an ideal state of spiritual health.

  2. 2.

    Developing self-awareness is important for an ideal state of spiritual health.

  3. 3.

    Developing joy in life is important for an ideal state of spiritual health.

  4. 4.

    Developing inner peace is important for an ideal state of spiritual health.

  5. 5.

    Developing meaning in life is important for an ideal state of spiritual health.

Ideal Environmental Well-Being

  1. 1.

    Developing a connection with nature is important for an ideal state of spiritual health.

  2. 2.

    Developing awe at a breathtaking view is important for an ideal state of spiritual health.

  3. 3.

    Developing oneness with nature is important for an ideal state of spiritual health.

  4. 4.

    Developing harmony with the environment is important for an ideal state of spiritual health.

  5. 5.

    Developing a sense of ‘magic’ in the environment is important for an ideal state of spiritual health.

Appendix 2: Measurement Scale for Materialism (Richins 2004)

  1. 1.

    I admire people who own expensive homes, cars, and clothes.

  2. 2.

    The things I own say a lot about how well I am doing in life.

  3. 3.

    I like to own things that impress people.

  4. 4.

    I try to keep my life simple, as far as possessions are concerned.*

  5. 5.

    Buying things gives me a lot of pleasure.

  6. 6.

    I like a lot of luxury in my life.

  7. 7.

    My life would be better if I owned certain things I don’t have.

  8. 8.

    I would be happier if I could afford to buy more things.

  9. 9.

    It sometimes bothers me quite a bit that I can’t afford to buy all the things I would like.

*This item was reverse scored.

Appendix 3: Measurement Scale for Consumers’ Ethical Beliefs (Muncy and Vitell 1992; Vitell and Muncy 1992, 2005)

Active/Illegal Dimension

  1. 1.

    Giving misleading price information to a clerk for an unpriced item.

  2. 2.

    Using a long distance telephone access code that does not belong to you.

  3. 3.

    Drinking a can of soda in a store without paying for it.

  4. 4.

    Reporting a lost item as ‘stolen’ to an insurance company in order to collect the insurance money.

  5. 5.

    Changing price-tags on merchandise in a retail store.

  6. 6.

    Returning damaged goods when the damage was your own fault.

Passive Dimension

  1. 1.

    Moving into a residence, finding that the cable (pay) TV is still hooked up, and using it without paying for it.

  2. 2.

    Lying about a child’s age to get a lower price.

  3. 3.

    Not saying anything when the waiter or waitress miscalculates a bill in your favour.

  4. 4.

    Getting too much change and not saying anything.

Active/Legal Dimension

  1. 1.

    Using an expired coupon for merchandise.

  2. 2.

    Returning merchandise to a store by claiming it was a gift when it was not.

  3. 3.

    Not telling the truth when negotiating the price of a new automobile.

  4. 4.

    Stretching the truth on an income tax return.

  5. 5.

    Using a coupon for merchandise you did not buy.

‘No harm, no foul’ Dimension

  1. 1.

    ‘Burning’ a CD rather than buying it.

  2. 2.

    Returning merchandise after buying it and not liking it.

  3. 3.

    Recording a movie off the television.

  4. 4.

    Spending over an hour trying on clothing and not buying anything.

  5. 5.

    Installing software on your computer without buying it.

‘Doing good’/Recycling Dimension

  1. 1.

    Buying products labelled as ‘environmentally friendly’ even if they don’t work as well as competing products.

  2. 2.

    Purchasing something made of recycled materials even though it is more expensive.

  3. 3.

    Buying only from companies that have a strong record of protecting the environment.

  4. 4.

    Recycling materials such as cans, bottles, newspapers, etc.

  5. 5.

    Returning to the store and paying for an item that the cashier mistakenly did not charge you for.

  6. 6.

    Correcting a bill that has been miscalculated in your favour.

  7. 7.

    Giving a larger than expected tip to a waiter or waitress.

  8. 8.

    Not purchasing products from companies that you believe don’t treat their employees fairly.

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Chowdhury, R.M.M.I., Fernando, M. The Role of Spiritual Well-Being and Materialism in Determining Consumers’ Ethical Beliefs: An Empirical Study with Australian Consumers. J Bus Ethics 113, 61–79 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1282-x

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