Traditional To Modern Values: Chinas Opening And The Impact On Prestige Goods

Abstract

The younger generation in China has undergone a cultural shift away from what are considered traditional Chinese values (Adams, 2011; Speter, 2008). This movement toward Western-based individualistic values is hypothesized to result from the opening of China to capitalistic and modern media systems. This cross-cultural research analyzes an online survey of 304 Chinese individuals that will explore this cultural shift by employing Kahles (1983) Values scale. To further explore the similarities or differences, the ratings of several prestige goods based on their hedonistic value are studied, as compared to an American sample.