Browsing by Author "Gungordu Belbag, Aybegum"

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Living Between Belief and Consumption: Religiosity, Hedonism, and Life Satisfaction Among Turkish Youth
(Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2025) Gungordu Belbag, Aybegum; Erbil, Cihat
This study examines the relationships among religiosity, materialistic hedonism, control, discomfort, and life satisfaction among 256 young individuals in Turkey. Structural equation modeling shows that religiosity does not curb materialistic hedonism and positively affects control. Life satisfaction is positively influenced by control and materialistic hedonism, and negatively by discomfort. Turkish youth form hybrid identities and practices that integrate both faith and consumer desires. A few studies examine contexts like Turkey, where secularism and religiosity coexist, and religious beliefs fulfill broader social and economic functions. The co-existence of religious beliefs and consumerism -especially among middle and lower class youth- remains underexplored.
The "Trickle-Across" Phenomenon: Consumption-Mimicking in Emerging Markets in a Stress Environment
(Emerald Group Publishing Ltd, 2026) Gungordu Belbag, Aybegum; Deligonul, Seyda Z.; Uner, Mehmet Mithat; Cavusgil, S. Tamer
Purpose - This study conceptualizes a novel framework called the "trickle-across" phenomenon to understand how middle-class consumers in emerging markets adapt their consumer behavior during economic crises. Unlike the trickle-down model based on upward emulation, the study explores how risk and uncertainty drive consumers to mimic their in-group. Design/methodology/approach - The study employs a conceptual review approach, synthesizing the crisis literature on middle-class consumer behavior across emerging markets. It offers four novel propositions to explain the socio-psychological underpinnings of the shift in middle-class consumer behavior. Findings - Under normal, low-anxiety conditions, middle-class consumers seek upward mobility through aspirational consumption and class emulation, referred to as trickle-down theory. However, during crises, heightened risk anxiety triggers a shift from upward emulation to lateral mimicry, where individuals conform to the consumption norms of their immediate social cohort. Socio-cultural influences play a critical role in risk trivialization and adapting to economic hardships. Originality/value - The study proposes the trickle-across phenomenon as a defining pattern of middle-class consumer behavior in emerging markets during crises. It shifts the focus from aspirational models to cohort-based survival strategies and highlights how socio-cultural factors help middle-class consumers adapt to economic hardships and preserve identity. The framework provides new insights for marketers, policymakers, and scholars.