In the early days of the pandemic, people scrabbled around for basic essentials, with news reports dominated by the shortages that existed of toilet paper, bread, and other items. The early weeks of lockdown also saw a boom in e-commerce sales as people stocked up on the things, such as home exercise equipment, to help them get through the tedium of lockdown.
Research from Cardiff University explores whether the stresses and circumstances of the pandemic resulted in a more materialistic society. The study finds that despite conditions being ripe for materialism to thrive, the opposite was actually the case.
Material ambitions
The researchers quizzed people across the UK on their beliefs and values, both before the arrival of Covid and afterward. Rather than appearing more materialistic after Covid came to dominate our lives, it appears we became less focused on money and material gains. Instead, respondents appeared to rate things like having a well-paid job and being financially successful as less important than before.
The authors argue that this could be due to the pandemic prompting us to focus on more wholesome factors, such as solidarity and health. This is likely to be a positive transition, with previous research suggesting that less of a focus on materialism tends to correlate with higher happiness levels and overall satisfaction with life.
Despite this, it can be hard to avoid materialism in a society seemingly driven by it. Indeed, brands were certainly active during the pandemic, with the study revealing a higher number of social media posts from brands promoting their wares as a way of dealing with the stresses of the pandemic.
If this coincides with the widespread reduction in the value we place on material gain, the authors suggest it could result in polarized mindsets, with the gradual drift away from consumerism on one side and the continued growth in the number of adverts for products and spending as the route to all happiness on the other. This could have wider implications across society.
