The Influence of Families’ Cultural and Economic Consumption Patterns on High School Students’ Musical Taste

Document Type : Original Research

Authors

1 1. Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

2 2. Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

3 3. Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

10.22034/sls.2025.68058.1553

Abstract

This study examines how families’ cultural and economic consumption influence the musical taste of 409 high school students in Torghabeh and Shandiz. Drawing on Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital and Veblen’s framework of conspicuous consumption, this quantitative survey identifies four types of musical taste: protest (rap, political–social), popular (pop, romantic), traditional (Iranian folk music), and distinctive/highbrow (rock, classical). The findings indicate that families’ cultural consumption (such as purchasing books) significantly affects preferences for traditional (β = 0.225) and distinctive (β = 0.201) genres, while conspicuous spending (such as buying fashionable clothes) influences mainstream tastes, namely popular music (β = 0.160). Protest-oriented taste shows minimal responsiveness to consumption patterns, suggesting motivations rooted in subcultural or political orientations. Theoretically, by highlighting the role of families’ cultural and economic consumption in shaping adolescents’ musical preferences, this study opens a window for analyzing the crucial impact of social position on cultural taste and demonstrates that, beyond individual justifications for music choices, family background plays a substantial role in explaining musical preferences.

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Main Subjects

References

 
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Journal of Sociology of Lifestyle (SLS)
Volume 11, Issue 1
May 2026
Pages 59-80

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History

  • Receive Date: 09 July 2025
  • Revise Date: 29 September 2025
  • Accept Date: 20 October 2025
  • Publish Date: 21 April 2026

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