Abstract

This paper focuses on the spatial differentiation of utilizing various household appliances in terms of global oriented consumption in urban area effected by different kinds of global connections (i.e. have been to foreign countries, have worked for foreign companies, have relatives overseas, and surf foreign web sites). Analysis of the data from 600 cases of a sample in Shanghai, China*( The data were collected by the PI of the research project, Dr. Xiangming Chen, with funding from the Chiang Ching-Kuo foundation for international exchange in 2001.) reveals clearly a considerable variation among different residential areas with regard to prevalent socioeconomic status among those areas per se. However, personal global connections have more significant affect on global consumption behaviors (i.e. numbers of household appliance with foreign brand). It is to say that residents who have a certain global connections are more likely to purchase foreign brand goods. The findings revealed by the result of analysis, rather strongly, that personal global connections not only affect global consumption behaviors but may actually reveal new social stratification in urban area. The meanings of findings are discussed in light of theories of globalization and social stratification.