Chapter 4 Demographics and Social Stratification: Multiple Choice Questions
Chapter 4 Demographics and Social Stratification: Multiple Choice Questions
Chapter 4 Demographics and Social Stratification: Multiple Choice Questions
2. Which of the following describe a population in terms of its size, distribution, and
structure?
A) geographics
B) psychographics
C) demographics
D) censographics
E) behaviorgraphics
3. Harriett wants to describe the population of a new market in which her firms wishes to
enter. She wants to describe the population in terms of its size, distribution, and
structure. Which of the following should she use?
A) psychographics
B) behaviorgraphics
C) censographics
D) demographics
E) geographics
4. Age, gender, education, occupation, and income are examples of _____ variables.
A) demographic
B) holographic
C) geographic
D) psychographic
E) censographics
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6. Which of the following is NOT a reason why the population of the United States has
grown steadily since 1960?
A) longer life expectancies
B) increasing birth rate
C) immigration
D) baby boomers moving through child-bearing years
E) all of the above are reasons why the population of the United States has grown
7. Which of the following is true regarding the size and distribution of the population of
the United States?
A) The population of the United States is approximately 250 million today.
B) The population has grown steadily since 1960 due to increasing birth rates.
C) The growth has not been even throughout the United States.
D) Midwest states, such as Michigan and Illinois, are expected to grow dramatically
in the next ten years.
E) The population of the United States has continued to decrease since 1960.
8. Which of the following is the most widely applied single cue we use to initially
evaluate and define individuals we meet?
A) age
B) income
C) occupation
D) gender
E) education
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11. Jenny is interested in understanding the behavior of consumers that are classified as
working in technical, clerical, or sales occupations. Which of the following products
is this group LEAST likely to purchase?
A) domestic beer
B) cigarettes
C) diet colas
D) laptop/notebook computers
E) all of the above
12. Approximately what percentage of the U.S. population has a high school degree?
A) 25%
B) 40%
C) 50%
D) 75%
E) 85%
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13. Approximately what percentage of the U.S. population has completed college?
A) 27%
B) 43%
C) 50%
D) 75%
E) 87%
15. Taitenger is a famous champagne maker in France. Part of this company's market
research of U.S. consumers looked at education levels of champagne consumers.
What education level is the likely consumer of champagne to have attained?
A) did not graduate high school
B) graduated high school
C) attended college
D) graduated college
E) none of the above
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17. What is the movement called in which companies have expanded opportunities for
less affluent consumers to afford luxury?
A) mass to class
B) class to mass
C) more to all
D) one for all
E) all for one
18. An estimate by the consumer of how much money he or she has available to spend on
nonessentials is known as _____.
A) objective discretionary income (ODI)
B) adjusted gross income (AGI)
C) adjusted discretionary income (ADI)
D) subjective discretionary income (SDI)
E) subjective gross income (SGI)
19. The Martin's household income is $123,000 per year. However, this family estimates
that they have $45,000 available to spend on nonessentials such as vacations and
entertainment. The $45,000 represents the Martin's _____.
A) objective discretionary income (ODI)
B) adjusted gross income (AGI)
C) adjusted discretionary income (ADI)
D) subjective discretionary income (SDI)
E) subjective gross income (SGI)
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21. Which age category is expected to experience the largest percentage increase between
2005 and 2015?
A) < 10
B) 20-29
C) 40-49
D) 60-69
E) > 69
22. Procter & Gamble is a major consumer packaged goods manufacturer. Which age
category provides the greatest opportunity for P&G in terms of growth between 2005
and 2015?
A) < 10
B) 20-29
C) 40-49
D) 60-69
E) > 69
24. Gertrude is 93 years old, but she perceives herself to be about 65 years old. Sixty-five
is Gertrude's _____ age.
A) felt age
B) real age
C) cognitive age
D) perceptual age
E) chronological age
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26. Sam is a healthy 75 year old man. He is a retired attorney, has a substantial retirement
income, and is a member of several social groups that travel, help others, and
encourage life-long learning. Which of the following is most likely true about Sam?
A) Sam's cognitive age is less than 75.
B) Sam's cognitive age is 75.
C) Sam's cognitive age is greater than 75.
D) Sam's cognitive age is 50.
E) Sam's cognitive age is 85.
27. A(n) _____ is a group of persons who have experienced a common social, political,
historical, and economic environment.
A) census age group
B) age cohort
C) cognitive group
D) chronological group
E) demographic group
28. _____ is the process of describing and explaining the attitudes, values, and behaviors
of an age group as well as predicting its future attitudes, values, and behaviors.
A) Census analysis
B) Demographic analysis
C) Generation analysis
D) Cognitive analysis
E) Cohort analysis
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29. Maria is analyzing the baby boom generation by describing and explaining their
attitudes, values, and behaviors as well as predicting its future, attitudes, values, and
behaviors. Maria is conducting a _____ analysis.
A) cohort
B) generational
C) demographic
D) census
E) cognitive
30. _____ deals with the mature market and is based on the theory that people change
their outlook on life when they experience major life events such as becoming a
grandparent, retiring, losing a spouse, or developing chronic health conditions.
A) Demographics
B) Gerontographics
C) Cognitive psychology
D) Cohort analysis
E) Generational analysis
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33. Which segment of mature consumers is mentally and physically active, both spouses
are generally still alive, has prepared for retirement both financially and
psychologically, is basically content and set to enjoy life, has traded down to a smaller
home, likes convenience, personal service, and high-tech home appliances, and is a
strong market for travel?
A) Healthy Indulgers
B) Ailing Indulgers
C) Ailing Outgoers
D) Frail Recluses
E) Healthy Hermits
34. Willie and Harriet, married for over 30 years, are both in their late 60s and are healthy
and physically active. They have prepared for retirement both financially and
psychologically, have sold their large five bedroom home for a smaller two bedroom
condominium, and take group vacations twice a year. To which segment of mature
consumers would Willie and Harriet belong?
A) Healthy Indulgers
B) Ailing Indulgers
C) Ailing Outgoers
D) Frail Recluses
E) Healthy Hermits
35. _____ have experienced health problems which limit their physical abilities and
frequently their financial capability. This segment is also a key market for retirement
communities and assisted-living housing. While seniors in this group acknowledge
their limits, they also maintain a positive self-esteem and seek to get the most out of
life. Independence and socializing are important as is remaining stylish in their dress.
A) Healthy Hermits
B) Ailing Indulgers
C) Ailing Outgoers
D) Frail Recluses
E) Healthy Recluses
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36. Barbara is a great grandmother with a few health problems that require her to live in
assisted-living housing. However, she does not let her physical and economic
limitations affect her self-esteem. She remains independent, socializes in several
seniors' groups, and still likes to remain stylish in her dress. Barbara would be
classified as a(n) _____.
A) Healthy Hermit
B) Ailing Outgoer
C) Ailing Hermit
D) Frail Recluse
E) Healthy Indulger
37. People in this group retain their physical health, but life events (i.e., death of a spouse)
have reduced their self-concept. They have reacted by becoming withdrawn, and
many resent the isolation and the feeling that they are expected to act like old people.
They prefer clothing styles that are popular with other seniors and will pay a premium
for well-known brands. They tend to stay in homes in which they raised their families,
and they are an important part of the do-it-yourself market. Which segment is this?
A) Healthy Indulgers
B) Ailing Outgoers
C) Healthy Hermits
D) Frail Recluses
E) Ailing Indulgers
38. James is a widower in good health that lives in the home he and his wife raised their
five children. However, he has reacted to his wife's death by becoming withdrawn and
feels isolated. He spends much of his time fixing up his house. James is best
described as a(n) _____.
A) Healthy Indulger
B) Ailing Outgoer
C) Healthy Hermit
D) Frail Recluse
E) Ailing Hermit
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39. This segment of mature consumers has accepted their old-age status and have adjusted
their lifestyles to reflect physical reduced capabilities and social roles. They focus on
becoming spiritually stronger, tend to stay at home, and are a major market for health
care products. Locational convenience is often a critical factor for this group. Which
group is this?
A) Healthy Indulger
B) Ailing Outgoer
C) Healthy Hermit
D) Frail Recluse
E) Ailing Hermit
40. Myrtle has accepted her old-age status and has adjusted her lifestyle to reflect her
reduced physical capabilities and social role. She focuses on becoming spiritually
stronger and tends to stay at home. Which segment best describes Myrtle?
A) Healthy Indulger
B) Ailing Outgoer
C) Healthy Hermit
D) Frail Recluse
E) Ailing Hermit
41. For which group of mature consumers is a convenient location of their physician most
important?
A) Healthy Indulger
B) Ailing Outgoer
C) Healthy Hermit
D) Frail Recluse
E) Ailing Hermit
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43. Harold was born in 1923. He entered young adulthood during World War II, and
served in the Navy during that war. He has witnessed radical social, economic, and
technological change in his lifetime. To which generation does he belong?
A) pre-Depression generation
B) Depression generation
C) baby boom generation
D) Generation X
E) Generation Y
44. Consumers 55 years of age and over constitute the _____ market.
A) baby boom
B) mature
C) generational
D) gerontological
E) aging
45. Elsie and her two sisters are all in their mid- to late-sixties. They are part of the _____
market.
A) boom
B) mature
C) generational
D) gerontological
E) aging
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47. Which of the following is a segmentation approach to the mature market that
incorporates aging processes and life events related to the physical health and mental
outlook of older consumers?
A) Gerontographics
B) Cognitive psychology
C) Demographics
D) Ageographics
E) Censographics
49. Xavier was born in 1940. He was too young to remember World War II, and he
matured during the prosperous years of the 1950s and early 1960s. His favorite singer
was, and still is, Elvis Presley. To which generation does he belong?
A) pre-Depression generation
B) Depression generation
C) baby boom generation
D) Generation X
E) Generation Y
50. Which generation invented rock and roll and grew up with music and television as
important parts of their lives?
A) pre-Depression generation
B) Depression generation
C) baby boom generation
D) Generation X
E) Generation Y
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51. Which generation refers to those individuals born during the dramatic increase of
births (i.e., almost 80 million baby births) between the end of World War II and 1964?
A) pre-Depression generation
B) Depression generation
C) baby boom generation
D) Generation X
E) Generation Y
52. John was born in 1955, and he has only known prosperity in his lifetime. He
remembers when President Kennedy was assassinated, primarily because his family
purchased their first color television not long after that event. While he remembers the
Vietnam War, he was too young to be drafted. To which generation does he belong?
A) pre-Depression generation
B) Depression generation
C) baby boom generation
D) Generation X
E) Generation Y
54. Robert and his wife, Jan, were both born in the 1950s. The last of their three children
will graduate from college soon, which is leaving them with increased discretionary
income and time. To which generation do Robert and Jan belong?
A) pre-Depression generation
B) Depression generation
C) baby boom generation
D) Generation X
E) Generation Y
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55. Which of the following is a reason why more baby boomers continue to work longer
than previous generations?
A) necessary due to a low income of some baby boomers
B) necessary due to a poor pension plan
C) due to changes in Social Security increasing the age at which full benefits can be
drawn
D) increased desire to stay active in interesting and rewarding careers
E) all of the above
57. Nick was born in 1972. As long as he can remember, his mother worked outside the
home. When he was 12, his parents divorced, which was hard on him, but the same
thing happened to several of his friends. When both of his parents remarried, his view
of a family changed to include all of his step-sisters and brothers. To which generation
does he belong?
A) pre-Depression generation
B) Depression generation
C) baby boom generation
D) Generation X
E) Generation Y
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59. Which generation was the first to gain a very broad view of a family, which may
include parents, siblings, stepparents, half-siblings, close friends, live-in lovers, and
others?
A) Depression generation
B) baby boom generation
C) Generation X
D) Generation Y
E) Millennials
60. Roger is an adult that has moved back in with his parents. He doesn't believe in
sacrificing time, energy, and relations to the extent he sees older workers do for the
sake of career or economic advancement. He has a master's degree but does not want
to work for a large corporation. To which generation does Roger most likely belong?
A) pre-Depression generation
B) Depression generation
C) baby boom generation
D) Generation X
E) Generation Y
61. Individuals born between 1977 and 1994 belong to which generation?
A) baby boom
B) Generation X
C) Generation Y
D) Generation Z
E) Millennial generation
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62. Amie was born in 1991. Her mother is a college professor, and her father is an
attorney. She's not sure what she wants to do when she grows up, but she knows she
will go to college and embark on a career of her own. She was amazed when her
grandmother told her that women really couldn't do that when she was young. If a
woman did work, choices were usually limited to becoming a teacher, a secretary, or a
nurse. Her grandmother told her that she was a secretary, but after she started having
children, she left the workforce and stayed home to raise her children, which was
common for most women at that time. That concept was totally foreign to Amie. To
which generation does she belong?
A) baby boom
B) Generation X
C) Generation Y
D) Generation Z
E) Millennial generation
63. The children of the original baby boomers are known as _____.
A) the baby bust generation
B) Generation X
C) Generation Y
D) Generation Z
E) the Millennial generation
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68. One's position relative to others on one or more dimensions valued by society is
known as one's _____.
A) societal rank
B) social status
C) social standing
D) social sphere
E) social realm
69. A hierarchical division of a society into relatively distinct and homogeneous groups
with respect to attitudes, values, and lifestyles is known as a _____.
A) social stratum
B) social class system
C) caste system
D) social continuum
E) societal ranking
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70. The more consistent an individual is on all status dimensions, the greater the degree of
_____ for the individual.
A) status maturity
B) status permanence
C) status inflexibility
D) status crystallization
E) status flexibility
71. Carl is a physician earning $200,000 per year. Using the Coleman-Rainwater system,
identify the social class to which Carl belongs
A) upper-upper
B) lower-upper
C) upper-middle
D) middle
E) working
72. Which term describes consumers' purchase and use of automobiles, homes, yachts,
clothes, and so forth primarily to demonstrate their great wealth?
A) conspicuous consumption
B) outrageous consumption
C) obnoxious consumption
D) nouveaux consumption
E) blue blood consumption
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74. The upper-middle class achieve their social position primarily _____.
A) through their unusually high incomes
B) by their occupation and career orientation
C) through inherited position
D) through their children's accomplishments
E) none of the above
75. Which social class consists of skilled and semiskilled factory, service, and sales
workers?
A) upper-middle
B) middle class
C) working class
D) upper-lower class
E) lower-lower class
77. Which social class consists of individuals who are poorly educated, have very low
incomes, and work as unskilled laborers?
A) lower-lower class
B) upper-lower class
C) working class
D) lower-middle class
E) middle class
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78. Earl did not complete high school and works as a janitor at two jobs. His income is
very low, and he does not possess any skills to help him get a better paying job.
Which social class best describes Earl?
A) lower-lower class
B) upper-lower class
C) working class
D) lower-middle class
E) middle class
79. Which social class has low incomes and minimal education, may be unemployed for
long periods of time, and is the major recipient of government support and services
provided by non-profit organizations?
A) lower-lower class
B) upper-lower class
C) working class
D) lower-middle class
E) middle class
80. What two basic approaches are used to measure social status?
A) primary and secondary measures
B) single-item and multi-item indexes
C) position and status measures
D) income and occupation indexes
E) income and education measures
81. Which of the following is NOT a common single-item index of social class?
A) education
B) occupation
C) income
D) age
E) all of the above are common single-item indexes of social class
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82. Which is NOT a factor used in the Warner's Index of Status Characteristics (ISC)?
A) occupation
B) source of income
C) education
D) house type
E) dwelling area
True/False Questions
83. Demographics describe a population in terms of its size, distribution, and structure.
84. Education is probably the most widely applied single cue we use to initially evaluate
and define individuals we meet.
87. Income enables purchases but does not generally cause or explain them.
88. Adjusted gross income (AGI) is an estimate by the consumer of how much money he
or she has available to spend on nonessentials.
89. Gerontographics is one segmentation approach to the mature market that incorporates
aging processes and life events to the physical health and mental outlook of older
consumers.
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90. The Depression generation is composed of those individuals born before 1930.
91. Baby boomers are characterized by high education levels, high incomes, and dual-
career households.
92. The baby boom generation is the first American generation to seriously confront the
issue of reduced expectations.
93. The children of the original baby boomers, generation Y born between 1977 and 1994,
are sometimes referred to as the baby bust generation.
94. The newest generation born after 1994 is known as the Millennials.
96. The Hollingshead Index of Social Position (ISP) is based on four socioeconomic
factors: occupation, source of income, house type, and dwelling area.
97. The U.S. Bureau of the Census uses a three-factor social status index based on
occupation, income, and education.
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Essay Questions
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99. Name and briefly describe the six generations discussed in this chapter.
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100. You just started your first marketing job, and your supervisor wants you to become
more knowledgeable of the mature market because she sees this market as a growing
opportunity. Name and describe the four segments of the mature market that have
been identified through gerontographics.
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101. Define the term social class system and list the social classes relevant in the United
States.
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