By analyzing the survey data of Chinese urban household
in S city from 1998 to 2009, this paper is mainly focused
on the influence of status inconsistency on consumption
patterns. The study found that status inconsistency has
some influence on material consumption and cultural
consumption. High-return families, whose education
level is higher than its income level, had less material
consumption from 1988 to 1993, but they increased
material consumption since 1994. Low-return homes
had a higher cultural consumption during 1988-1993,
but high-return families have higher than that after 1994.
Overall, from 1988 to 1993, high-return families’ material
and cultural consumption were low; since 1994, they have
a higher material and cultural consumption.