Dynamics of the Urban Middle Class, Consumerism, Social Mobility and New Identities
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37899/mjds.v2i3.203Keywords:
Consumerism, Digital Identity, Indonesia, Social Mobility, Urban Middle Class, Urban SociologyAbstract
The rapid expansion of Indonesia's urban middle class has transformed patterns of consumption, social mobility, and identity formation within contemporary urban society. This study aims to examine the influence of consumerism and social mobility on the construction of new identities among the urban middle class. A quantitative survey was conducted with 400 respondents from five major Indonesian cities using purposive and proportional random sampling techniques. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire employing a five-point Likert scale and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression. The findings indicate that consumerism, social mobility, and new identity formation all demonstrate relatively high mean scores, reflecting strong urban middle-class aspirations and lifestyle orientation. Regression analysis reveals that consumerism has a stronger effect on identity formation than social mobility, suggesting that symbolic consumption plays a more prominent role than structural advancement in shaping contemporary urban identities. The study contributes to urban sociology by providing an integrated understanding of consumer behavior, mobility aspirations, and identity formation, offering practical implications for policies supporting sustainable and inclusive urban middle-class development.
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