Materialism Scale

Abstract

The Materialism Scale (MVS), developed by Marsha L. Richins and Scott Dawson in 1992, is a widely utilized psychological scale designed to measure an individual’s orientation toward materialism as a core consumer value. The scale assesses the degree to which individuals believe that possessions are central to their lives, provide satisfaction and happiness, and serve as indicators of success. The original instrument consists of 18 items distributed across three distinct sub-dimensions, providing a robust measurement tool for researchers in consumer research and social psychology.

Keywords

Materialism, Consumer Values, Consumer Behavior, Scale Development, Success, Centrality, Happiness, Psychometrics, Self-Report

Authors

Richins, M. L., and Dawson, S.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Materialism Scale is to provide a reliable and validated measure of materialism as a long-term, stable individual value orientation. Developed in response to a need for a robust psychometric tool to quantify this construct, the MVS allows researchers to study the antecedents and consequences of materialistic values in various contexts, including purchasing decisions, well-being, and interpersonal relationships. The scale helps differentiate individuals based on their commitment to acquiring and owning possessions.

The instrument operationalizes materialism not merely as a behavioral pattern (e.g., spending habits) but as a deep-seated belief system regarding the importance of possessions in achieving life goals and determining personal worth. This foundational approach has made the MVS instrumental in fields focusing on ethical consumption and life satisfaction.

Construct

The Materialism Scale measures the psychological construct of materialism, defined as a set of centrally held beliefs about the importance of possessions in one’s life. Richins and Dawson conceptualized materialism as a multi-dimensional construct comprising three core components:

• Success: The belief that possessions and wealth are necessary indicators of achievement and success in life. Individuals scoring high on this dimension tend to judge both themselves and others based on the quality and quantity of their material holdings.
• Centrality: The belief that acquiring possessions and material objects is a central goal and focus of life. This dimension reflects the degree to which shopping and ownership occupy a significant part of a person’s daily thoughts and activities.
• Happiness: The belief that possessions are essential to life satisfaction and well-being. Individuals high in this dimension often feel that their life would be significantly better or happier if they owned more or nicer things.

Validity

The original development and validation of the Materialism Scale (1992) established strong evidence for its construct validity. The three-factor structure was confirmed through factor analysis, demonstrating that the scale effectively measures the theoretical components of materialism (Success, Centrality, and Happiness) as distinct but related dimensions. Further validation studies across various populations have supported the scale’s external validity by demonstrating expected correlations with related constructs, such as envy, self-esteem, and compulsive buying behaviors. The subsequent 2004 revision and development of a shorter form also confirmed the robust underlying factor structure of the scale across different methodologies.

Reliability

The Materialism Scale demonstrates acceptable to good internal consistency across its sub-dimensions, as measured by Cronbach’s Alpha. The reliability coefficients reported in the initial validation studies support the consistent measurement of the underlying constructs:

• Success Dimension: Internal consistency typically ranges from alpha .71 to .75.
• Centrality Dimension: Internal consistency typically ranges from alpha .74 to .78.
• Happiness Dimension: Internal consistency typically ranges from alpha .73 to .83.

These reliability scores indicate that the items within each factor are highly intercorrelated and measure the same specific facet of the materialism construct, confirming the scale’s utility for research purposes.

Factor Analysis

The Materialism Scale is structured around a robust, empirically derived three-factor model. The original exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses performed by Richins and Dawson identified three distinct, correlated factors that represent the facets of materialistic values. The 18 items are distributed across these factors as follows:

• Factor 1: Success (Items 1, 2, 3*, 4, 5, 6*)
• Factor 2: Centrality (Items 7*, 8*, 9*, 10, 11, 12, 13*)
• Factor 3: Happiness (Items 14*, 15, 16*, 17, 18)

This factor structure has been consistently replicated in numerous studies, lending strong support to the multidimensional nature of the materialism construct as measured by the MVS. Note that items marked with an asterisk (*) are reverse-scored to mitigate acquiescence bias.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report inventory

Format: 18 items utilizing a 5-point Likert scale response format.

Language Available: English (original), with numerous translations available in subsequent research.

Population Group: General adult population and consumer samples.

Age Group: Adolescents and adults.

Population Details: Primarily developed and tested on North American consumer populations, though it has been cross-culturally validated.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate their level of agreement with each statement using the following response options: Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree. Scores are summed across the three dimensions, taking into account the reverse-scored items, to yield overall materialism scores and sub-scale scores.

Keywords

Psychological Measurement, Consumer Psychology, Values Orientation, Possessions, Life Satisfaction, Acquisition, MVS

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content; generally requires external search.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source content.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source content.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Materialism Scale was initially published in 1992. As a widely published academic instrument, it is generally available for non-commercial academic research use, often without a direct fee, provided proper citation is given. Researchers should consult the primary source authors or the publishing journal (Journal of Consumer Research) for specific permissions regarding commercial or large-scale use. The original journal article citation serves as the definitive source for the scale.

Reference’s

• Richins, M. L., & Dawson, S. (1992). Consumer values orientation for materialism and its measurement: Scale development and validation. Journal of Consumer Research, 19, 303-316.
• Richins, M. L. (2004). The material values scale: Measurement properties and development of a short form. Journal of Consumer Research, 31, 209-219.
• Richins, Marsha L., and Dawson, Scott. (2004). A Consumer Values Orientation for Materialism and Its Measurement: Scale Development and Validation. Journal of Consumer Research, 19(3), 303-316.
• Yang, Anthony. (2015). Quantifying anomia: development of a scale. California State University. Master of Arts thesis.

The original PDF of the 1992 article can be accessed here: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2489391?origin=JSTOR-pdf

Another related source is available here: https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/bitstream/handle/10211.3/159926/YANG_Anthony.pdf?sequence=1

Items of the Materialism Scale

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. I admire people who own expensive homes, cars, and clothes.
2. Some of the most important achievements in life include acquiring material possessions.
3. I don’t place much emphasis on the amount of material objects people own as a sign of success.*
4. The things I own say a lot about how well I’m doing in life.
5. I like to own things that impress people.
6. I don’t pay much attention to the material objects other people own.*
7. I usually buy things I need.*
8. I try to keep my life simple, as far as possessions are concerned.*
9. The things I own aren’t all that important to me.*
10. I enjoy spending money on things that aren’t practical.
11. Buying things gives me a lot of pleasure.
12. I like a lot of luxury in life.
13. I put less emphasis on material things than most people I know.*
14. I have all the things I really need to enjoy life.*
15. My life would be better if I owned certain things I don’t have.
16. I wouldn’t be any happier if I owned nicer things.* [My life would be better if I owned nicer things.*]
17. I’d be happier if I could afford to buy more things.
18. It sometimes bothers me quite a bit that I can’t afford to buy all the things that I like.

* reverse scored items