Self-concept and Decision-making Styles: A Comparison between Young Korean and American Consumers

The purpose of this study is to investigate differences in self-concepts and their influence on decision-making styles in apparel shopping across two cultures; namely, Korea and the United States. Data is obtained from university students in both countries (3 universities in Korea and 2 universities in the United States), generating a sample size of 1,166. The questionnaire consists of three parts: decision-making styles for apparel shopping, selfconcepts, and demographic information. The results indicate that Korean respondents have higher interdependent self-concepts than the American respondents. Moreover, the selfconcepts of young consumers have significant effects on their decision-making styles. This study also finds that the self-concepts of young consumers from both countries has a significantly different impact on decision-making styles for apparel shopping. The similarities and/or differences of the relationships between self-concepts and decisionmaking styles of young Korean and American consumers are also found when such relationships are examined within each country. This study makes a unique contribution to enhancing the understanding of contemporary global consumer behavior by exploring relationships in culture, self-concepts, and decision-making styles of young consumers.