Conspicuous Consumption and Social Desirability Among Sport Sciences Students: A Comparative Study of Public and Foundation Universities
Keywords:
Conspicuous Consumption, Social Desirability, Sports.Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between conspicuous consumption tendencies and levels of social desirability among students in the Faculties of Sport Sciences at public and foundation (private) universities, and to examine whether these variables differed according to selected demographic characteristics.
Methods: The study included 666 university students, of whom 351 were enrolled at Muş Alparslan University, a public university, and 315 at Istanbul Topkapı University, a foundation (private) university. All participants were students in the Faculty of Sport Sciences. The sample comprised 438 male and 228 female students, with mean ages of 20.9 ± 1.9 and 20.9 ± 2.5 years, respectively. Data were collected using a demographic information form, the Conspicuous Consumption Tendencies Scale, and the Social Desirability Scale. Descriptive statistics, the Mann–Whitney U test, the Kruskal–Wallis H test, and Spearman’s rank-order correlation analysis were used for data analysis.
Results: The findings showed that, among students at both public and foundation universities, the variables of following fashion and purchase motivation were associated with significant differences in both social desirability and conspicuous consumption tendencies. Gender was found to be a significant factor particularly in relation to social desirability, whereas income level was significant only among foundation university students (p < .05). In addition, a moderate, positive, and statistically significant relationship was identified between conspicuous consumption tendencies and social desirability levels across the full sample.
Conclusion: Conspicuous consumption tendencies and social desirability among students in Faculties of Sport Sciences appear to be shaped primarily by fashion orientation and purchase motivation. Gender plays a meaningful role in social desirability, while income level differentiates outcomes only among students attending foundation universities. Overall, higher levels of conspicuous consumption were associated with higher levels of social desirability.
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