The Pursuit of Luxury in China

Abstract

For the past four decades, China has been on a remarkable path to economic growth and prosperity. Hundreds of millions were lifted from poverty and a growing middle class has created a lucrative market for all kinds of consumer goods, namely luxury goods. This paper examines the relationship between luxury spending and the level of happiness by using data from the 2011 China Household Finance Survey (CHFS). Our preliminary results suggest that the level of luxury spending is positively associated with personal happiness in overall China. In other words, Chinese are happier the more branded goods they consume.