The Influence of Materialistic Inclination on Values, Life Satisfaction and Aspirations: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract

This article attempts to measure the effect of materialistic inclination on the degree of life satisfaction. The study is based on a sample of about 1600 respondents randomly selected from different parts of the city state of Singapore. These respondents were divided into two distinct groups with high or low materialistic inclination. It was observed that when these respondents were asked to rate the importance of the nine items from Kahle's List of Values, the ratings of seven of these items were found to be significantly different between the two groups. The two groups also indicated different choices when asked to rate the things they wanted most out of life. Finally, it was revealed that they also reported different degrees of satisfaction with various domains in life in general. However, as with regard to satisfaction with life in Singapore in particular, there were no significant differences observed between the two groups.