Impact of Materialistic Value on Environmental Attitude of Young Adults in Indore City

Abstract

The present study investigated the relationship, impact, and predictive role of materialistic values on environmental attitudes among young adults in Indore City. In the context of rapid urbanization and growing consumer culture, understanding how value orientations influence environmental concern is of increasing importance. A quantitative research design was employed, and data were collected from a purposively selected sample of 60 young adults aged 18–26 years from colleges and universities in Indore City. Materialistic values were measured using the Materialistic Value Scale (Richins & Dawson, 1992), while environmental attitudes were assessed through the Environmental Attitude Scale (EAS-TH) developed by Haseen Taj. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s product moment correlation, and simple linear regression analyses were used for data analysis. The results indicated that young adults exhibited a moderate level of materialistic values and a high to extremely high level of environmental attitudes. Correlation analysis revealed a negligible and non-significant relationship between materialistic values and environmental attitudes. Regression analysis further demonstrated that materialistic values did not have a significant impact on, nor did they significantly predict, environmental attitudes. The findings suggest that environmental attitudes among young adults may operate independently of materialistic value orientation and are likely shaped by factors such as education, environmental awareness, and socio-cultural influences. The study contributes context-specific empirical evidence from an Indian urban setting and highlights the need to explore alternative psychological and social determinants of environmental attitudes among youth.