ROLE EFFECTS OF DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS ON CONSUMERISM ACTIVITY AMONG URBAN HOUSEHOLD CONSUMERS IN NAKURU COUNTY, KENYA IN KENYA

Abstract

Consumerism has been a primary concern of developed countries where consumer protection is quite advanced.
It has been defined as a social movement seeking to augment the rights and powers of consumers in relation to
sellers (Kotler, 2000). Consumerism is among the fastest-growing social movements in Africa, where the
marketplace has been a seller's haven. The rise of consumerism in Kenya has been marked by registration
Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) and enactment of Competition Act 2010 and Consumer Protection
Act 2012. However, despite these institutional developments, consumerism has not yet picked up momentum to
the desired levels in the country. Most consumers in Kenya, majority of who are vulnerable, still remain
disorganized and uninformed and often unsuspectingly fall prey to fraudulent practices in the market. Kenyan
consumers have been exposed to poor quality of goods and services in the marketplace ranging from food to
medicines to services (Asher & Rijit, 2012). Again, the consumers’ response to calls for nationwide protests
organized by COFEK in 2011 (dubbed “Unga” revolution), 2010 and 2008 over rising cost of living in Kenya
were too low to achieve much in the marketplace. The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of
demographic factors on consumerism activity among urban household consumers in Nakuru County, Kenya.
The study was premised on the theory of collective behaviour by Smelser (1963). The theory proposes that
structural conduciveness factors including advances in income, education and technology influences formation
and progression of a consumer movement. The study adopted a descriptive research design involving a mixed
method approach. A sample size of 400 respondents was drawn from 10 administrative sub-locations in Nakuru
East and Nakuru West sub counties of Nakuru County. Multi-stage cluster sampling technique was used for
selecting households for the study. A pre-designed self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection.
Linear regression analysis was carried out with the aid of Statistical Package for Social sciences (SPSS) version
19. Hypotheses tests were conducted through p-value approach. The study found out that income level had
positive effect on consumerism activity among urban household consumers in Nakuru County while age, gender
and education level had negative effects. Test of hypotheses confirmed that effect of income level on
consumerism activity was statistically significant at 95% confidence level while effects of age, gender and
education level were not statistically significant. The study concluded that demographic factors had both
positive and negative effects on consumerism activity among urban household consumers in Nakuru County,
Kenya. The study recommends enhancement of consumer education through mass media, improved consumer
protection by government agencies and enforcement of consumer laws through consumer courts in the country.