Demographic contributions to marketing: An assessment

The use of demographics in marketing studies has a relatively long history. Given the proliferation of demographic data, and some of the concern over the shortcomings of demographic contributions to marketing, it is appropriate to assess the use of demographics in the marketing literature. This study examines the contribution of population data, methods, and models in six marketing journals from 1980 through 1988. The results show that even though demographics appear in over 15 percent of the studies, methodological and theoretical shortcomings limit their value. The findings are discussed with respect to application improvements that should be made.