A Study on Low-Income Consumers Problem by the Comparison among Income Classes

소득계층별 비교를 통한 저소득층 소비자문제에 관한 연구

The prensent study was aimed to explore the reality of the low-income consumers problem by the comparison among five income classes. Specifically, this study was intended to (1) compare the levels of consumer skill, market risk, and consumer problem among the five income classes, (2) examine the relationship between consumer problem and consumer skill, and the relationship between consumer problem and market risk, and (3) search the types of consumer problems that each income class consumers might experience the most often. For this purpose, a survey was conducted using questionaire on 525 home managers in Seoul. The deta were analyzed by ANOVA and DMR test. The major findings were as follows; First, the consumer skill was the poorest in the low-income consumers. There was curvilinear relationship between consumer skill and income level. Second, the market risk was the highest in the low-income consumers. Market risk had a negative linear relationship with income level. Third, consumer problem was the most serious in the low-income consumers and was the least serious in the middle-income consumers. Fourth, the lower consumer skill and the higher market risk the consumers had, the more consumer problems they tended to experience. Finally, the low-income consumers had relatively more difficulties in door-to-door sale and inferior goods problem than the middle and the high-income consumers. On the other hand, the latter experienced relatively more difficulties in false and misleading advertising, overcharge, unfair bargain, and warrenty-repair-exchange problem than the former. Taken together, the research hypotheses were well supported in this study. It was suggested that the quality and the quantity of the low-income consumers problem were different from those of the middle-and the high-income consumers problem.