An Empirical Approach to Representing Patterns of Consumer Tastes, Nostalgia, and Hierarchy in the Market for Cultural Products

Previous empirical research on consumer tastes for cultural products has investigated the structures of markets for art, entertainment, and popular culture by examining how customer characteristics affect preferences among cultural categories (e.g., films versus television) or within a category (e.g., television soap operas versus TV sports programs). The present study explores preferences both among and within cultural categories. It hypothesizes and finds taste patterns that reflect age-related nostalgia and that indicate a hierarchy from highbrow to lowbrow cultural products. Further—in answer to a research question concerning the market segments defined by ethnic group, gender, and religion—it appears that whites, men, and Christians tend relatively to favor the more popular or lowbrow aspects of the consumer culture.