Social bases of material consumption: The relationship between social groups and possession of household appliances in Denmark

Abstract

In this article, possession of household appliances in Denmark is used to address the role of social groups in reproducing social norms of material consumption practices. This has been down-played in studies engaging with the ‘practice turn’, especially within the sociology of sustainable consumption. Using latent class analysis, four distinct latent subgroups with similar patterns of material consumption are identified and analysed. On the basis of the possession of appliances, these groups are characterised and labelled unlimited, outdated, limited and updated. After assigning the households to the latent group to which they have the highest probability of belonging, the social character of these groups is examined using logit models, thus making explanations of differences in material consumption practices possible. As identified in other domains of consumption, this study found that patterns of material consumption are socially structured. Researchers within the sociology of sustainable consumption have been particularly interested in studying the role of material arrangements and infrastructures in reproducing shared understandings and common procedures. This article argues that, in order to fully understand the dynamic mechanisms of consumption patterns and the possibilities for sustainable development, the field should equally engage with shared understandings generated and reproduced by social groups.