The hispanic family—consumer research issues

There are significant differences in the structure and composition of the Hispanic‐American family when compared to models of the American family in the family life‐cycle literature. For researchers using the family life‐cycle framework to classify consumers, it is important to recognize key differences in families and the effects of these differences on family consumption behavior. The primary theoretical assumption made in this paper is that ethnic/racial differences in family structure and composition represent variations in subcultural norms governing family behaviors, including family consumption behaviors. Consumer research issues—such as difficulties encountered when conducting research on Hispanics—are discussed, as well as the effects of subcultural norms on aspects of consumer behavior. Future research is recommended to enrich our understanding of family consumption behavior by introducing a cultural dimension.