Religion's influence on consumption: A life course paradigm perspective

Abstract

This article applies the life course paradigm to research on religion's influence on consumer behavior to provide an alternative perspective to theories explaining how religion influences consumption and marketing practice. While the life course paradigm has been shown to be highly influential in general consumer behavior research, this concept has been seemingly forgotten in the context of religion and consumer behavior, which is concerning given the role that religion can play in consumers' lives through various life transitions. Specifically, six major transitioning times in consumers' lives (leaving home, marriage, kids, retirement, spouse/parent death, and unexpected factors) are discussed with application to religion and consumer behavior research as well as future research directions. Discussion concludes with a call to action for more research on religion's influence on consumer behavior that is theoretically grounded utilizing the life course paradigm in an effort to more accurately understand the influence of religion on consumer behavior.