Secondary consumer socialisation of adults

This study investigates whether adult consumers’ general predispositions towards consumption change as a result of social interaction with their adolescent children. To illustrate the concept of secondary consumer socialisation of parents by children ‘Computer Related’ and ‘Small High-Tech’ products were examined; assuming that children are likely to be more interested and better informed than their parents about these categories. The study used dyadic data analysis to investigate relationships and to assess the level of dyadic agreement about how adolescents influence their parents’ consumption patterns. The findings suggest that both parents and children agree to a high level of influence and interaction about these product categories. However, the parent’s interest and knowledge remains low for both categories compared with their children