Conspicuous consumption differs from the usual consumption of many goods because it satisfies
not only material needs, but also social needs such as prestige or status. This paper discusses
one interesting little-known aspect of the phenomenon: the determinant factors, drawing
upon relevant analyses from different fields. The impact that these “global” or “local” factors (gender, age,education, etc.) have on the level of conspicuous consumption of an Albanian family
is analyzed, using data from the 2008 Albanian Living Standards Measurement Survey (LSMS). Gender
and education seems to be the most important factors.