Robert N. Mayer

Developmental Recognition of Consumption Symbolism

Communicating through consumption choices involves decoding information about others based upon observations of their consumption behavior. Using photographs of automobiles and houses, the ability to recognize consumption symbolism is examined in six age groups and compared between males/females and “higher”/“lower” social-class subjects. Grade school is found to be the time during which most consumption decoding skills are attained.

Toward a Sociology of Consumption

The study of some psychological processes has become the main focus of consumer research; consequently, there has been a tendency to overlook the societal context in which consumers operate. The Authors focus on several characteristics of societies which affect individual consumers, and suggest new research directions which delineate the domain of a sociology of consumption and its potential contributions to private and public policy makers.

Agency Review of Environmental Marketing Claims: Case-by-Case Decomposition of the Issues

Abstract Environmental claims in marketing are subject to review by a variety of government and self-regulatory bodies. Although some of these bodies have issued guidelines, the most important precedents have been set in case-by-case actions. We discuss cases brought by the state attorneys general and the New York City Division of Consumer Affairs, and examine in detail cases brought by the Federal Trade Commission and the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus between 1990 and the end of 1994. Similarities and differences among the cases brought by these bodies are analyzed in relation to the goals and powers of the various review bodies. We conclude with observations about the adequacy with which issues involving environmental issues (e.g., degradability, recyclability, ozone impact, life cycle assessments) have been addressed in case-by-case action and provide some suggestions for future research.

Genetic testing, adverse selection, and the demand for life insurance

The dramatic increase in genetic testing for adult-onset diseases has created a debate regarding whether or not insurance companies should be able to use genetic test results in underwriting. We use data from women who have been tested for the BRCA1 gene mutation along with data from otherwise comparable untested women to assess the potential for adverse selection in the life insurance market when tested individuals know their genetic test results but insurers do not. Our analyses show that women who test positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation do not capitalize on their informational advantage by purchasing more life insurance than those women who have not undergone genetic testing.

Voluntary disclosure of BRCA1 mutation test results.

This study assessed the probability that individuals tested for a BRCA1 gene mutation share their test results with family members, co-workers, and insurers. Members of a large kindred known to be at-risk for carrying a BRCA1 gene mutation were tested and they learned their results from a genetic counselor. During a follow-up interview, 4 months later, subjects were asked with whom they had shared their results. Respondents were most likely to have communicated results to family members, followed by co-workers, and insurers. Carrier status affected their willingness to disclose results to insurers. High rates of disclosure to family members should promote awareness of hereditary cancer risk. Selective disclosure to co-workers and insurers may promote information asymmetries that could affect employment and insurance markets.

The Socially Conscious Consumer-Another Look at the Data

Several researchers have attempted to construct models of the socially and ecologically conscious consumer and subject them to empirical test, but results have been largely disappointing. The author looks at the most recent of these attempts and uses its “negative” findings to construct a model which is more sensitive to the political dimensions of consumption activities.

Technology, Families, and Privacy: Can We Know Too Much About Our Loved Ones?

Both an array of privacy advocates and a body of privacy policies have emerged to reduce threats to personal privacy posed by Big Government and Big Business. Technologies that threaten personal privacy when employed by large institutions are increasingly being used by family members to track one another, but without a comparable level of societal scrutiny and control. This paper examines four such technologies – internet tracking software, global positioning systems, miniature cameras, and genetic tests – to gauge their level of use and public acceptance and then to consider their impact on family relations, especially those between parent and child and between spouses. While these technologies are intended to promote the safety of family members, by disrupting personal privacy, they may also provoke a number of counterproductive responses that reduce safety. Moreover, the deployment of these technologies may inhibit the development of trust and trustworthiness within the family. Partly owing to a lack of understanding of how new technologies affect family relations, both formal and informal efforts to control these technologies have been slow to develop.

The growth of the French videotex system and its implications for consumers

The French telecommunications authority (DGT) is embarked on the worlds most ambitious effort to make videotex into a mass medium. The decision to distribute terminals (Minitels) free of charge as well as a unique approach to pricing services have generated substantial interest in the French Télétel system. This article describes and analyzes: (a) the reasons why this multibillion dollar gamble was undertaken, (b) the major elements of the French videotex system, (c) various measures of the systems progress to date, (d) the major types of services offered, (e) patterns of consumer use, (f) consumer problems and policy issues associated with the videotex medium, and (g) the prospects of the French videotex system taking hold in other nations.ZusammenfassungDie französische Behörde für Telekommunikation macht im internationalen Vergleich die stärksten Anstrengungen, Videotext zu einem Massenmedium zu machen. Sowohl die Tatsache, daß die Terminals (Minitels) kostenlos zur Verfügung gestellt werden, wie auch die besondere Form der übrigen Preispolitik haben zu einem großen Interesse an dem französischen Télétel-System geführt.Der Beitrag beschreibt (a) die Gründe, aus denen dieses millionenschwere Unterfangen begonnen wurde, analysiert (b) die Elemente des französischen Videotextsystems, behandelt (c) verschiedene Indikatoren zur Erfassung der bisherigen Entwicklung des Systems, nennt (d) die wichtigsten Arten der Angebote, die das System macht, skizziert (e) die Nutzergewohnheiten der Konsumenten, diskutiert (f) Verbraucherprobleme und politische Aspekte, die mit dem neuen Medium verknüpft sind, und prüft schließlich (g), welche Zukunftsaussichten des französischen Videotextsystems auch für andere Länder gelten dürften.

Family, Frailty, and Fatal Futures? Own-Health and Family-Health Predictors of Subjective Life Expectancy

Subjective life expectancy is a powerful predictor of a variety of health and economic behaviors. This research expands upon the life expectancy literature by examining the influence of familial health histories. Using a genetic/environmental model, we hypothesize that individuals’ assessments of their life expectancies will be linked to the health of first-degree and second-degree relatives, with same-sex relatives’ health exercising a stronger effect than that of opposite-sex relatives. Multivariate analyses based on data from a 2009 survey merged with familial health records (N = 1,019) confirm that the health experiences of same-sex, first-degree relatives are linked to respondents’ subjective life expectancy. The relationship between the health experiences of second-degree relatives and subjective life expectancy is much less pronounced. These findings have the potential not only to inform our understanding of health behaviors but also to encourage communication between patients and health professionals aimed at promoting preventative behaviors.

Genetic Testing and the Demand for Cancer Insurance

There has been an expansion of the availability of disease-specific insurance policies in the United States over the past decade. At the same time, recently developed medical tests are providing consumers with new information regarding their risk of contracting particularly serious diseases. This exploratory study makes use of data from two groups of women to examine the demand for one type of disease-specific policy, cancer insurance. Members of the first group have been tested for a BRCA1 gene mutation that is associated with an 88% risk of contracting breast and/or ovarian cancer by age 70. The other group consists of women from the general population who have not been tested for any BRCA1 gene mutation.The study results indicate that women who have been tested for the BRCA1 gene mutation are more likely than untested respondents to have purchased cancer insurance and to have recently thought about purchasing cancer insurance. The results also indicate that older women and women who have modest household incomes are more likely to have purchased cancer insurance. Women who have minor children, who are more highly educated, who have no health insurance, who have had cancer, or who report that they are in poor health are more likely to have recently contemplated purchasing cancer insurance. Our discussion of the findings highlights several issues that merit further consideration on the part of consumer policy makers working in the area of insurance regulation.