Study finds Christians less likely to be brand fanboys

So, it turns out that having some sort of religious affiliation is likely to mean you’re not really excited about brands.

I have two immediate thoughts when reading this story:

1. Christians are too busy being fanboys about Christian brands (like theological movements, and ministry figures).
2. These people obviously didn’t focus enough on Apple in their research.

“The researchers theorized that both brands and religion contribute to a sense of self-worth and that the two sources of support would be in competition. Their findings confirmed that people who find more solace in religion are less entranced by brand names.”

“In an Internet-based study, 356 participants (68% Christian, 19% nonreligious, 4% Jewish, and the balance Buddhist, Muslim or “other”) were asked to make six choices between brand-name and generic goods, with realistic price differences. The researchers classified the products as either “expressive” (Ralph Lauren sunglasses vs. WalMart’s) or “functional” (Motrin vs. CVS ibuprofen). Subjects then answered 10 questions designed to gauge the importance of faith in their lives.”

The survey seems to suggest that quality is more of a factor for Christians (or people from other religions) than identifying with a brand. I suspect it’s because the more Christian you become the less you need a brand to create or reinforce your identity.

“A subject who attended worship services at least weekly was roughly 20% less likely to select an “expressive” brand than one who did not; there was no difference in the functional category.”