The Impact of Materialism and Peer Comparison on Student Life Satisfaction Among University Students

Abstract

Materialism and peer comparison are frequently studied determinants of subjective well-being, yet their combined influence on the life satisfaction of university students in South Asian settings remains understudied. This study examined the relationships among materialism, peer comparison, and student life satisfaction in a sample of 250 undergraduate, MPhil, and PhD students at a Pakistani university. Materialism was assessed with the Material Values Scale (Richins & Dawson, 1992), peer comparison with the Iowa–Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure (Gibbons & Buunk, 1999), and life satisfaction with the Student Life Satisfaction Scale (Huebner, 1991). Materialism was significantly negatively correlated with student life satisfaction (r = –.220, p < .001), while peer comparison was significantly positively correlated with life satisfaction (r = .302, p < .001) and with materialism (r = .236, p < .001). Multiple regression confirmed that materialism (β = –.517, p < .001) and peer comparison (β = .457, p < .001) were significant, opposite-direction predictors of student life satisfaction, jointly explaining 18.1% of the variance (R² = .181, F = 27.321, p < .001). Findings indicate that while materialistic values are associated with reduced student well-being, peer comparison—likely reflecting predominantly downward comparison processes—was associated with greater life satisfaction in this sample. Implications for student support, mental health services, and future longitudinal and culturally comparative research are discussed.