Modernity, consumer culture and lifestyle One sociological study in Kerman

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the sociology of traditional and modern consumer lifestyle and some of its individual and social factors among Kerman citizens. This descriptive-correlational study was conducted in Kerman in autumn 2016. The statistical population consisted of all citizens of Kerman over 18 years of age. 400 of them were selected and studied by multistage cluster sampling. Data gathering tool was a researcher-made questionnaire on consumer lifestyle based on four components of leisure, body management, nutrition and shopping patterns in both traditional and modern dimensions. The results showed that respondents have a more traditional consumption lifestyle. Respondents had a more traditional style in subjects such as leisure, body management, nutrition, and shopping patterns, all four components of the consumer lifestyle. Traditional lifestyle shows a significant difference in terms of gender, age, marital status, and residential neighborhood. In addition, modern lifestyle showed a significant difference in age and marital status, but gender and residential neighborhood did not differ significantly from modern lifestyle. Also, there is a significant difference in consumption pattern in both traditional and modern dimensions in terms of socioeconomic status. In today’s context, the role of traditional institutions such as family and religion in socializing individuals is declining and some kind of cultural disruption is prevalent in society; in this context, individuals, especially young people, build a modern and distinct identity for themselves, influenced by modernity and consumer culture.