CONSUMER TRENDS AND LIFE SATISFACTION: EXAMINING THE MODERATING ROLE OF CAUSAL BELIEFS

Abstract

This study examines how contrasting consumption orientations influence life satisfaction and investigates the moderating role of causal beliefs, particularly belief in karma. Drawing on survey data from 393 Vietnamese consumers, the study considers two distinct groups of consumption behaviors: material-oriented consumption, represented by status consumption and unnecessary consumption, and environmentally responsible consumption, represented by electricity-saving and energy-saving behaviors. The measurement model was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), while the proposed relationships and moderating effects were tested using hierarchical ordinary least squares (OLS) regression with interaction terms. The findings indicate that status consumption and unnecessary consumption do not exert statistically significant direct effects on life satisfaction. In contrast, electricity-saving and energy-saving behaviors are positively associated with life satisfaction. Importantly, causal beliefs significantly and positively moderate the relationships between material-oriented consumption behaviors and life satisfaction. However, causal beliefs do not significantly moderate the relationships between environmentally responsible consumption behaviors and life satisfaction. These findings contribute to the consumer well-being literature by integrating material-oriented and environmentally responsible consumption within a unified framework and by identifying causal beliefs as a culturally embedded boundary condition in the consumption–well-being relationship. The study also provides implications for businesses and policymakers seeking to promote more sustainable consumption practices while recognizing the psychological and cultural heterogeneity of consumers.