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Do zodiac signs influence anything?
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Zodiac signs influence our buying and spending habits

The British General Household Survey found that zodiac signs have a significant, and sometimes predictable, effect on purchasing behavior in the leisure, tobacco and drinks markets, among others.
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The Argument

A study conducted by Hyokjin Kwak on college students found that masculine signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) are more inclined to impulse buy, while the feminine signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces, Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) are not. The researchers couldn’t find any significant zodiacal differences in the students’ rating of product quality, but did find that water signs tend to rate customer service higher than non-water signs.[1] In 2011, another paper on young people’s shopping habits reported similar findings. The authors, Mustafa, G., et al, surveyed 445 young consumers with a range of questions intended to draw them out on buying preferences and habits. These researchers also found that fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) made more instant and impulsive buying decisions while water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) were more reticent.[2] More recently, a 2015 paper on women’s buying behavior at Portugal’s Center for the Study of Public and Social Economy reported findings from a face-to-face survey of 400 participants. This study, by authors Mehmet and Kubilay, compared women’s Sun and rising signs by astrological elements.[3] The rising sign is the astrological sign rising on the eastern horizon at the time of birth. The Mehmet and Kubilay study found that the astrological elements can influence where women prefer to shop and which items they are more likely to buy.

Counter arguments

There is no correlation between zodiac signs and buying habits. In the same study by Hyokjin Kwak et al, from the University of Georgia, they came to the conclusion that “there is no relationship found between compulsive buying tendencies and astrological signs.”[4]

Premises

[P1] Zodiac signs have an effect on consumer buying patterns.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Research has demonstrated this isn't true.

References

  1. http://astrologynewsservice.com/news/astrological-elements-impact-consumer-buying-habits/
  2. https://www.academia.edu/28728464/Stimulating_Factors_of_Impulse_Buying_Behavior_A_Literature_Review
  3. https://isarder.com/2016/vol.8_issue.3_article015_full_text.pdf
  4. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.484.7132&rep=rep1&type=pdf
This page was last edited on Wednesday, 22 Apr 2020 at 08:49 UTC

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