Value Consciousness

What it measures

Seven seven-point Likert-type items measure the degree to which a consumer is motivated to pay low prices for products while ensuring quality thresholds are met. Items address price-quality tradeoffs, value maximisation, comparative price checking, unit price use, and best-value seeking. The scale distinguishes value consciousness from related constructs such as coupon proneness by its emphasis on the quality constraint.

Response format

7-point Likert (1=strongly disagree, 7=strongly agree)

Scale items

• I am very concerned about low prices, but I am equally concerned about product quality.
• When grocery shopping, I compare the prices of different brands to be sure I get the best value for the money.
• When purchasing a product, I always try to maximize the quality I get for the money I spend.
• When I buy products, I like to be sure that I am getting my money's worth.
• I generally shop around for lower prices on products, but they still must meet certain quality requirements before I buy them.
• When I shop, I usually compare the "price per ounce" information for brands I normally buy.
• I always check the prices at the grocery store to be sure I get the best value for the money I spend.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Developed through rigorous multi-stage item generation and purification. Alphas of .80 (development), .82 (Lichtenstein et al. 1993), .86 (Burton et al. 1998), .86 (Burton et al. 1999), .86 (Garretson et al. 2002), and .91 (Lastovicka et al. 1999). Confirmatory factor analysis and multiple discriminant validity tests provide strong psychometric support across many studies.

Citation

Lichtenstein, D. R., Netemeyer, R. G., & Burton, S. (1990). Distinguishing coupon proneness from value consciousness: An acquisition-transaction utility theory perspective. Journal of Marketing, 54(3), 54–67.

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