Dataset on Ritual Intensity and Consumer Spending in Hindu Households 3️⃣ Authors

This study investigates how ritual intensity influences festival-related consumption behavior within Hindu households by integrating cultural, emotional, and normative mechanisms into a consumer decision framework. Drawing on ritual theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior, the study examines how ritual engagement translates into festive purchase intention and actual spending behavior, while also assessing the moderating role of marketing exposure during festival periods. Data were collected through a structured survey administered to 287 respondents across Hindu households during the major festival season in India. The study measured six key constructs: Ritual Intensity (RI), Festive Emotional Arousal (FEA), Perceived Social Obligation (PSO), Festive Purchase Intention (FPI), Festive Spending Level (FSL), and Marketing Exposure during Festival (MEF). All variables were assessed using established multi-item Likert scales. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test direct, mediating, and moderating relationships. The findings reveal that ritual intensity significantly enhances emotional arousal and perceived social obligation, which in turn increase purchase intention and subsequent spending levels. Both emotional and normative pathways demonstrate significant mediation effects. However, marketing exposure does not significantly moderate the emotional and normative pathways, although it directly predicts purchase intention. Overall, the results highlight the primacy of culturally embedded psychological mechanisms in shaping festival consumption, demonstrating that ritual engagement serves as a foundational driver of economic behavior beyond promotional influences.