Consumer Attitudes toward Marketing and Consumerism

Consumer Attitudes toward Marketing and ConsumerismAuthor(s): Hiram C. Barksdale and William R. DardenSource: Journal of Marketing, Vol. 36, No. 4 (Oct., 1972), pp. 28-35Published by: American Marketing AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1250423 .

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Consumer Attitudes Toward

Marketing and Consumerism

HIRAM C. BARKSDALE

and

WILLIAM R. DARDEN

As public concern regarding consumer issues increases, the American consumer

has formed definite opinions about business policies and practices, the

consumerism movement, and protective government legislation. This exploratory

study reports the reactions of a national sample of consumers to these

issues.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS. Hiram C. Barksdale is chairman, Department of Mar- keting and Distribution, and William R. Darden is as- sociate professor of marketing, College of Business Administration, The University of Georgia, Athens.

DURING the past decade, there has been increasing concern both in the public and pri-

vate sectors for the rights and interests of the consumer. The allegations made by consumer advocates are sharply critical of business, par- ticularly marketing practices and the performance of the marketing system.' While the criti- cisms and demands of consumer activists have aroused public concern, challenged business practices, and stimulated government action, relatively little is known about consumers' attitudes toward marketing. Only a few studies have at- tempted to determine how consumers view the marketing activities of business, and most of these focus on a single subject or function of marketing.2 In other words, the increasing interest in consumer problems provides a research challenge that has to date stimulated little response.

This article presents an exploratory study which used a national sample of consumers to determine consumer reactions to business policies and practices. Consumer perceptions of the marketing system and its operation are described, evalu- ated, and used generally to suggest some implications for marketing management. The findings offer great potential to those who are interested

Journal of Marketing, Vol. 36 (October, 1972), pp. 28-35.

1. Fred Trump, Buyer Beware (New York: Abingdon Press, 1965); Ralph Nader, Unsafe at Any Speed (New York: Grossman Publishers, 1965); Dexter Masters, The Intelligent Buyer and The Telltale Seller (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1966); Warren G. Magnuson and Jean Carper, The Dark Side of the Marketplace (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968); David Sanford, ed., Hot War on the Consumer (New York: Pitman Publishing Corp., 1969); Colman McCarthy, "The Faulty School Buses," Saturday Review, Vol. 55 (March 11, 1972), pp. 50- 56; and Kermit Vandivier, "The Aircraft Brake Scandal," Harper's Magazine, Vol. 244 (April, 1972), pp. 45-52.

2. Raymond A. Bauer and Stephen A. Greyser, Advertis- ing in America: The Consumer View (Boston: Graduate School of Business Administration, Harvard University, 1968); Marvin A. Jolson, Consumer Attitudes Toward Di- rect-to-Home Marketing Systems (New York: Dunellen Publishing Co., 1970); "Roper Reports Consumers Want More Regulation," The Marketing News, Vol. 4 (Mid- August, 1971), pp. 1-2; and "Madison Avenue's Response to Its Critics," Business Week (June 10, 1972), pp. 46-54.

28



Consumer Attitudes Toward Marketing and Consumerism 29

TABLE 1 PHILOSOPHY OF BUSINESS

Statements Level of Agreement" Strongly Strongly

Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Disagree 1. Most manufacturers operate on the philosophy

that the "consumer" is always right. 2.0% 21.5% 15.8% 47.2% 13.6% 2. Despite what is frequently said, "let the

buyer beware" is the guiding philosophy of most manufacturers. 5.6 32.5 24.6 34.2 3.1

3. Competition ensures that consumers pay fair prices. 12.4 44.9 12.1 25.7 4.8 4. Manufacturers seldom shirk their responsibility

to the consumer. .8 20.3 20.3 46.6 11.9 5. Most manufacturers are more interested in

making profits than in serving consumers. 21.8 52.3 11.9 12.4 1.7

"After eliminating the uncertain responses, each statement for Tables 1 through 7 was subjected to a two-tailed z test. The hypothesis tested was that P = .5, where the observed proportion was computed as the ratio of the sum of "strongly agree" and "agree" responses to the reduced sample size. In Table 1 only statement 2 is not significant at the .02 level.

in drawing specific implications for their own managerial situations.

Research Methodology The data were collected by a mail questionnaire

during the summer of 1971. Questionnaires were mailed to 785 households, and after one follow-up letter, 376 questionnaires or 48% were returned; of these, 354 or 45% were complete and usable. The national sample of consumers was randomly selected from telephone directories within each state in proportion to its population.

The questionnaire consisted of 40 "Likert-type" statements chosen after a pretest of 67 items, using a sample of 160 adults in three cities. The Likert scale was selected for use in this mail survey because it is simple to explain, easy for respondents to understand, and an effective method for self-administered interviews. In addition to the 40 "Likert-type" statements, the questionnaire also requested the following information for classification purposes: Sex, age, family size, number of children, occupation, home ownership, political predisposition, geographic location, and city size. The responses to all 40 statements were analyzed by each of these classification variables.

The uncertain responses for any particular statement are difficult to interpret because they may have any one of several meanings: (1) Re- spondents did not understand the statement; (2) refused to take a position; or (3) did not possess enough knowledge about the subject to have an opinion.

For purposes of analysis and discussion, the 40 statements are grouped into the following categories: Philosophy of business, product quality, advertising, other marketing activities, consumer responsibilities, consumerism, and government regulation.

Results

Philosophy of Business The answers to the statements in Table 1 sug-

gest that respondents did not believe manufacturers place consumer satisfaction before all other business interests. Less than 25% of all respondents agreed that business operates on the philosophy that the consumer is always right. Ap- proximately 38% of those responding agreed that "let the buyer beware" is the guiding philosophy of most manufacturers. Almost the same per- centage stated the opposing view, and 24.6% were uncertain. A majority of respondents (59%) disagreed with the idea that manufacturers seldom shirk their responsibility to consumers, while 74.1% thought most manufacturers are more interested in making profits than in serving the consumer.

Despite the attitude expressed about the priori- ties of consumer interests, most respondents (57%) agreed that competition ensures fair prices. This suggests a wide-spread belief that the free- enterprise system operates in the interest of consumers. At the same time, however, 30% disagreed with the same statement. Apparently these respondents have little faith in the competitive system or the benefits it produces.

The level of uncertain response is relatively high for several of the statements in Table 1. An analysis of the response pattern of all 40 statements suggests that the level of uncertainty is highest for those statements that required ex- tensive knowledge of business policies and activities which are generally beyond the direct experience of many consumers. Therefore, a high level of uncertain answers to such questions might be expected.



30 Journal of Marketing, October, 1972

TABLE 2 PRODUCT QUALITY

Statements Level of Agreementa Strongly Strongly

Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Disagree 6. In general, manufacturers make an effort to

design products to fit the needs of consumers. 5.4% 73.2% 8.8% 11.9% .8% 7. Over the past several years, the quality of

most products has not improved. 11.9 38.1 12.1 35.3 2.5 8. From the consumer's point of view, style

changes are not as important as improvements in product quality. 33.6 48.0 5.1 11.3 2.0

9. Manufacturers do not deliberately design products which will wear out as quickly as possible. 4.0 31.6 22.6 31.9 9.9

10. Manufacturers often withhold important product improvements from the market in order to protect their own interests. 11.3 37.9 34.7 15.5 .6

11. The wide variety of competing products makes intelligent buying decisions more difficult. 8.5 61.3 7.1 21.2 2.0

12. For most types of products, the differences among competing brands are insignificant and unimportant to consumers. 1.1 31.9 6.5 50.3 10.2

"Only statement 9 is not significant at the .02 level (see footnote a, Table 1).

Product Quality Table 2 indicates 78.6% of the respondents

agreed that "in general, manufacturers make an effort to design products to fit the needs of consumers." This statement deals with the central idea of the marketing concept and the overwhelming, positive response should be reassuring to all concerned with marketing. At the same time, however, subjects expressed considerable skepticism about manufacturers' continued efforts to improve the quality of products offered to buyers. Of those responding, one-half agreed that product quality has not improved over the past several years, and more than 40% thought that manufacturers deliberately design products which will wear out as quickly as possible. When queried about the relative importance of style changes and improvements in product quality, 81.6% of the respondents stated that quality improvements are more important than style changes. Approximately 50% of the sample expressed agreement that manufacturers often withhold important product improvements from the market, while 34.7% indicated uncertainty. This is another statement that required information many of the respondents did not seem to possess; thus, the level of uncertain response.

Consumer misgivings about the improvement in product quality may be influenced, to some degree, by the inflationary spiral of prices. Most respondents indicated they would prefer less em- phasis on style change and more concentrated effort on improvement of product quality. This may be a realistic statement of public preference, and therefore suggests the need for a reevalua- tion of some firms' product policies.

Almost 70% of the respondents agreed that the wide variety of competing products makes intelligent buying decisions more difficult. At the same time, 60.5% believed that for most products the differences among competing brands are significant and important. Consumers seem to place a high value on product variety and freedom of choice in the market and are willing to cope with the increased complexity of the buying process that is created by the wide variety of competing products.

Advertising

Table 3 shows that the response to the statements about advertising was consistent with the results of other investigations of how consumers view this activity.3 Many respondents agreed that (1) most product advertising is not believable, (2) most manufacturers' advertisements are not reliable sources of information about product quality and performance, and (3) manufacturers' advertisements generally do not present a true picture of the products advertised.

It is interesting to note that while only 16.7% of the respondents agreed that advertisements are reliable sources of product information, 38.4% thought that advertised products are more dependable than unadvertised ones. Apparently many consumers believe that the messages of advertised products are exaggerated to a considerable degree, yet they find that advertised products are more reliable than unadvertised

3. Bauer and Greyser, same reference as footnote 2; and "Madison Avenue's Response to Its Critics," same reference as footnote 2, p. 48.




TABLE 3 ADVERTISING


Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Disagree 13. Most product advertising is believable. .6% 30.2% 13.8% 42.4% 13.0% 14. Manufacturers' advertisements are reliable

sources of information about the quality and performance of products. 2.0 14.7 12.4 44.1 26.8

15. Generally, advertised products are more dependable than unadvertised ones. 4.2 34.2 19.2 33.9 8.5

16. Manufacturers' advertisements usually present a true picture of the products advertised. 1.7 18.6 12.7 50.8 16.1


TABLE 4 OTHER MARKETING ACTIVITIES


Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Disagree 17. Generally speaking, the products required by

the average family are easily available at convenient places. 27.1% 67.2% 1.4% 3.4% .8%

18. In general, the quality of repair and maintenance service provided by manufacturers and dealers is getting better. 2.8 18.1 20.1 43.5 15.5

19. Generally, product guarantees are backed by the manufacturers who make them. 4.2 59.6 15.8 15.8 4.5

20. The games and contests that manufacturers sponsor to encourage people to buy their products are usually dishonest. 13.6 24.6 38.7 22.0 1.1

21. The American marketing system operates more efficiently than those of other countries. 11.0 38.7 44.6 5.1 .6

"All statements are significant at the .02 level (see footnote a, Table 1).

ones. These results imply that consumers have greater confidence in advertised products than they do in advertisements and suggests a credi- bility gap that could be closed by appropriate management action.

Other Marketing Activities

Consumer attitudes toward other marketing activities of manufacturers are summarized in Table 4. In contrast to the views expressed about advertising, respondents generally agreed that most other marketing activities are carried out in an acceptable fashion. For example, 94.3% agreed that the products required by the average family are easily available at convenient places, 63.8% thought that manufacturers make a sincere effort to back up their product guarantees, and 49.7% believed that the American marketing system operates more efficiently than those of other countries. On the other hand, approximately 60% indicated that the quality of repair and maintenance service provided by manufacturers is not improv- ing. This could be an important factor in shaping

consumer attitudes toward product quality. In the absence of definite criteria for measuring product quality, consumers may impute the anxi- ety, frustration, and high cost of repair and service to the quality of products.

It is striking that 44.6% of the respondents stated that they are uncertain about the operat- ing efficiency of the American marketing system, and 38.7% indicated they are uncertain about the honesty of promotional games and contests spon- sored by manufacturers. The high level of uncertain responses to such statements is somewhat reassuring if it can be assumed that they reflect reasoned opinions about activities that many consumers feel unqualified to evaluate.

Consumer Responsibilities

Safeguarding the rights and interests of buyers has been the main thrust of consumerism, but little attention has been given to consumer responsibilities that accompany these rights. The statements in Table 5 probe the importance of consumer problems and examine consumers' per-




TABLE 5 CONSUMER RESPONSIBILITIES


Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Disagree

22. The problems of consumers are less serious now than in the past. 2.0% 18.4% 16.7% 54.0% 9.0%

23. The information needed to become a well-informed consumer is readily available to most people. 3.7 39.5 13.6 37.3 5.9

24. The average consumer is willing to pay higher prices for products that will cause less environmental pollution. 9.0 32.8 27.7 27.7 2.8

25. The problems of the consumer are relatively unimportant when compared with the other questions and issues faced by the average family. 4.2 21.8 13.6 53.7 6.8

26. Many of the mistakes that consumers make in buying products are the result of their own carelessness or ignorance. 12.4 62.4 5.9 16.9 2.3

27. Consumers often try to take advantage of manufacturers and dealers by making claims that are not justified. 6.5 25.4 22.0 39.3 6.8

28. For most types of products, consumers do not find it worthwhile to shop around to find the best buy. 5.1 31.4 4.0 48.9 10.7

29. Concern for the environment does not influence the product choices made by most consumers. 5.4 56.2 18.6 18.4 1.4


ceptions of their responsibilities in the operation of the marketing system.

In response to the notion that consumer problems are less serious now than in the past, 63% of the respondents expressed some level of disagreement. Slightly more than 60% disagreed that consumer problems are relatively unimportant when compared with other problems faced by the average family. These findings indicate that the American public believes the problems of consumers should receive serious attention by business, government, or consumer groups.

A majority of respondents think that many problems are caused, at least in part, by the consumer's own ineptness, carelessness, or ignorance and/or a reluctance to put forth the effort required to make informed buying decisions. Al- most 75% agreed that many mistakes consumers make in buying products are the result of carelessness. Regarding the accessibility of information needed to be a well-informed buyer, an equal number agreed as disagreed that such information is readily available. In addition, 59.6% believed it worthwhile "to shop around for the best buy."

These results suggest that respondents recog- nized some of the responsibilities of consumers and understand that one of the major reasons for consumer problems is the failure of shoppers to act in a responsible manner.

Deception, fraud, or dishonesty may be evi- denced on the part of either seller or buyer. When asked whether consumers try to take ad-

vantage of manufacturers and dealers by making unjustified claims, 46.1% of the sample disagreed but more than 30% agreed.

When questioned about willingness to pay higher prices for products that would reduce environmental pollution, 41.8% of the respondents agreed that the average consumer would be willing to do this, but as many as 27.7% were uncertain. Less than 20% of the sample felt that environmental concern influences the product choices of most consumers.

Consumerism The statements in Table 6 are designed to ex-

plore selected aspects of the alleged mistreatment of consumers. More than 45% of the sample thought that manufacturers are more sensitive to consumer complaints now than in the past, and more than 55% believed most firms make a sincere effort to adjust consumer complaints fairly. However, 68.9% stated that when consumers have problems with products, it is difficult to get them corrected. An almost equal number agreed that, from the consumer's point of view, most manufacturers handle complaints and settle grievances in an unsatisfactory manner. Apparently, many consumers feel that business firms are increasing their efforts to handle complaints, but they believe that there is still need for much improvement in this area.

Almost 50% of the sample indicated that the consumer crusade has been an important factor in changing business practice, and 61% agreed




TABLE 6

CONSUMERISM


Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Disagree 30. Manufacturers seem to be more sensitive to con-

sumer complaints now than they were in the past. 3.4% 42.9% 18.4% 26.8% 8.5% 31. When consumers have problems with products

they have purchased, it is usually easy to get them corrected. 1.7 14.1 15.3 51.7 17.2

32. Most business firms make a sincere effort to adjust consumer complaints fairly. 3.7 52.8 21.5 17.8 4.2

33. From the consumer's viewpoint, the procedures followed by most manufacturers in handling complaints and settling grievances of consumers are not satisfactory. 13.3 53.7 16.4 16.1 .6

34. Consumerism or the consumer crusade has not been an important factor in changing business practices and procedures. 2.5 27.1 22.0 41.8 6.5

35. Ralph Nader and the work that he has done on behalf of consumers has been an important force in changing the practices of business. 22.3 38.7 28.8 7.9 2.3

36. The exploitation of consumers by business firms deserves more attention than it receives. 24.6 50.3 14.1 9.6 1.4

aAll statements are significant at the .02 level (see footnote a, Table 1).

TABLE 7 GOVERNMENT REGULATION

Statements Level of Agreementa Strongly Strongly

Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Disagree 37. The government should test competing brands

of products and make the results of these tests available to consumers. 28.2% 45.5% 8.5% 14.1% 3.7%

38. The government should set minimum standards of quality for all products sold to consumers. 25.1 48.6 9.9 13.6 2.8

39. The government should exercise more responsibility for regulating the advertising, sales and marketing activities of manufacturers. 25.1 43.2 12.4 16.7 2.5

40. A Federal Department of Consumer Protection is not needed to protect and promote the interests of consumers. 5.1 8.8 9.0 43.5 33.6

aAll statements are significant at the .02 level (see footnote a, Table 1).

that Ralph Nader's work on behalf of the consumer has been effective. It is also surprising that almost 30% of the respondents were uncertain that the work of Nader has been an important force in changing business practices. Yet, in spite of the publicity and discussion on consumer protection, three-fourths of all respondents felt that consumer problems deserve more attention than they now receive.

Government Regulation Consumer apprehension about the policies and

practices of business is clearly reflected in respondents' replies to the statements about govern-

ment regulation. Table 7 indicates that in response to all four statements, over two-thirds of the sample agreed that additional government regulation is needed to protect consumer interests. Over 73% believed that the government should test competing brands of products and make the test results available to consumers; 73.7% stated that the government should set minimum quality standards for all consumer products; 77.1% indicated that a Federal Department of Consumer Affairs is needed; and 68.3% agreed that there should be greater government control over advertising, sales, and marketing activities. This expression of support for government regu-




lation is consistent with at least one other published survey.4

While a small proportion of the sample expressed strong disagreement with the need for increased government control, the high level of agreement suggests that consumers want help and are ready to accept legislative solutions to their problems. The low level of uncertain replies indicates that most people have definite opinions about this subject.

Analysis by Consumer Characteristics

The responses to all 40 statements were analyzed by each of the following classification variables: (1) Sex (male or female); (2) age (18-34, 35-54, or 55 and over); (3) family size (two or less or three and over); (4) number of children (none or one or more); (5) occupation (blue collar, white collar, unemployed, or retired); (6) home ownership (own or rent); (7) political predisposition (conservative or liberal); (8) geographic location (northeast, southeast, northwest, or south- west); and (9) city size (under 25,000, 25,000 to 150,000, or over 150,000).

Most of the attitudes expressed by respondents were found to be independent of the characteristic variables. Classification of the answers ac- cording to sex, family size, number of children, occupation, home ownership, geographic location, and city size yielded few significant differences. Because respondents' opinions were in such close agreement across classification levels, the results are not presented. Age and political predisposition, however, reveal definite association with opinions expressed on a number of statements.

In general, the younger respondents expressed less confidence in the competitive system and greater skepticism about the benefits of advertising. At the same time, they indicated greater uncertainty about the dependability of advertised products and less confidence that ads present a true picture of the products advertised.

Over 72% of the younger respondents disagreed with the statement that consumer problems are relatively unimportant, while only 47.5% of the respondents 55 years and older expressed the same opinion. The younger consumer was less in- clined to believe that consumers take advantage of manufacturers by making unjustified claims.

A significantly greater proportion of younger respondents stated that the procedures for handling consumer complaints are unsatisfactory (69.9%). They also felt that consumerism has been important in changing business practices (61.3%), Nader's work has been effective in changing business practice (73.1%), consumer exploitation deserves more attention than it presently re-

ceives (80.7%), and more government regulation is needed (77.4%).

To determine political predisposition, respondents were asked whether they considered them- selves conservatives or liberals. As might be expected, the liberal respondents were generally more critical of marketing practices and more optimistic about the consumer movement than the conservatives. Both groups, however, expressed strong support for a Federal Department of Consumer Protection. The extent of conservative support (61.7% vs. 89.6%) for such a department is somewhat surprising. There was no sta- tistical difference in the opinions of liberals and conservatives on the other three statements deal- ing with the need for additional government control of marketing. The fact that conservatives join with liberals to give overwhelming support to the idea of further government legislation is one of the most important findings in this study.

Conclusions

The information supplied by the cross-section of consumers in this study suggests several broad conclusions:

1. Most consumers recognize and value highly particular aspects of the free-enterprise system, such as price paid, efforts to fit products to consumer needs, variety of products offered, and convenient availability of products.

2. Many consumers register a high level of apprehension about certain business policies and considerable discontent about specific marketing activities. The most obvious example is the lack of confidence in advertising.

3. Many respondents conceded that some of the imperfections in the operations of the marketing system result from the ineptness, carelessness, and apathy of consumers.

4. In general, respondents thought that consumer problems are important and deserve more attention than they now receive. This attitude may help explain the impatience reflected in the opinions expressed about certain business practices.

5. Respondents voiced overwhelming support for additional government regulation as a means of solving consumer problems. This attitude was shared by both liberals and conservatives. Busi- ness leaders may have definite reasons for opposing protective legislation for consumers, but apparently the buying public does not agree. Busi- ness appears to be facing the choice of voluntary or legislative control.

6. For most of the statements, respondents' opinions were in surprising agreement. Classifi- cation variables such as sex, age, family size, occupation, and home ownership revealed few sig-

4. "Roper Reports Consumers Want More Regulation," same reference as footnote 2.




nificant differences among the categories of each variable.

7. Age and political predisposition were the two characteristic variables that showed the greatest differences in response. Younger, liberal respondents were, in general, more critical of marketing and also more impressed with the accomplish- ments of the consumer movement.

8. Respondents indicated considerable uncertainty when asked to evaluate the relative efficiency of the American marketing system, the honesty of games and contests, manufacturers withholding product improvements to protect their own interests, consumer willingness to pay higher prices for nonpolluting products, and the effectiveness of Ralph Nader's work.

Implications The level of discontent expressed by consumers

in this survey must be interpreted in light of the general level of dissatisfaction that seems to prevail against all institutions. Although criticism of governmental policy and performance seems to be increasing, respondents in this study were very receptive to legislative solutions to consumer problems. These findings suggest that the buying public has more confidence in government en- forcement than in voluntary business efforts to meet consumer expectations.

Interpretation of the survey results must also consider the questionnaire response rate. Those who returned the questionnaire may have stronger opinions about the marketing system than those who did not reply. A comparison with other published studies indicates a high level of consistency on at least two of the topics-advertising and government regulation. Consumers implied strong support of recent government action in the area of advertising.

Respondents' replies suggest an awareness of manufacturers' efforts to serve consumers; however, they also felt that these efforts frequently do not meet public expectations. The discontent

voiced about business and marketing may par- tially reflect the high level of public frustration and antagonism. Yet the average person has more frequent exposure to the operation of the marketing system than he has to other public institutions. As consumers, respondents spoke from a broad base of experience, and their evalu- ations should, therefore, be taken seriously. The apprehension expressed about particular aspects of business and marketing constitute an important message to corporate officials and marketing executives and should not be ignored.

Consumers seem to have some specific complaints that demand constructive and corrective action. Until there is visible progress in alleviat- ing these conditions, the consuming public is likely to continue the search for solutions through government action.

Although few respondents were vehement in protesting further government regulation, most of them did not seem to recognize the limitations of government legislation. They did not appear to understand that government intervention will not solve all consumer problems and certainly will not prevent problems created by consumers who are unwilling to accept their responsibilities in the marketplace.

These findings suggest that business must edu- cate the public about the operation of the marketing system, the benefits of free enterprise, and the limitations of government intervention. Busi- ness must also reexamine and modify its policies and practices to improve products and services offered consumers.

The consumer movement has emphasized the responsibility of consumers to complain when justified. This situation has created a responsibility for business to increase the attention given to consumer problems and to initiate programs that will improve customer relations. If businessmen do not voluntarily respond to consumer problems and complaints, they may be faced with further government control through legislation.



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Consumer Attitudes toward Marketing and Consumerism