This is not a game: Parents' religiosity and its role in children's materialism

Consumer Society is a contemporary phenomenon which has direct effects on the level of materialism among children. Detecting the causes which lead to consumers' materialism and measuring its effects on people's life are two major research orientations found in the literature. Religiosity not only moderates the effect of materialism in people's well-being, but may explain the degree of materialism in children as well. This article explores the link between materialism in a sample of 492 8-12 year-old children and their parents' religiosity. Results show that high religiosity families have children with less desire for money and less non-generosity, but who obtain higher pleasure from shopping. Parents' religious behaviours have a stronger effect on children's materialism than religious attitudes. A structural equation model shows that the effects of parents' religious behaviours on children's materialism are direct, and not fully mediated by school type (religious or secular).