Еmotionally Loaded Consumption in Contemporary Russia: Specific Features, Main Factors and Financial Consequences. Part 2: Empirical Estimates

Abstract

In previous theoretical part of the study, the author introduced a category of emotionally loaded consumption and conducted a comparative analysis of panic, impulsive, and compulsive buying. In this study, on the empirical level, he reveals a spread of these types of consumption behavior, their factors, and consequences. Research hypotheses are tested upon data collected from a nationwide representative survey of the Russian population aged 18+. The survey was conducted by the HSE University in June-July 2023 in 55 regions of Russia as face-to-face interviews by place of residence (N = 6000). Descriptive statistics and logistic regressions are used for the analysis. The study shows that online shoppers and alcohol consumers are more involved into all three types of emotionally loaded consumption. Impulsive and compulsive buying are more popular among younger people, non-employed, respondents with higher per capita income, residents of larger cities (except for Moscow and Saint-Petersburg), and people with a higher level of psychological distress. Besides, females and users of new digital communication channels are more involved into compulsive buying. The study also demonstrates that emotionally loaded behavior may lead to serious financial consequences including unpaid loans, overdue debts, and private debts.

Acknowledgements. The study was conducted in the Laboratory for Studies in Economic Sociology at the HSE University within the project “Economic Behaviour of the Households” and supported by the Program for Basic Research of the HSE University. The author thanks T.A. Nestik, O.A. Simonova, and Z.V. Kotelnikova for their valuable comments on the manuscript.