The relationship between materialism and susceptibility to online fraud among Chinese college students: A moderated mediation model from trait and state perspectives

Online fraud in China is increasingly targeting the younger population, with susceptibility to online fraud serving as a critical indicator for predicting this risk. This study explores the relationship between materialism and susceptibility to online fraud among Chinese college students, as well as the underlying mechanisms from both trait and state perspectives. Study 1 involved a survey of 827 Chinese college students utilizing a cross-sectional design, with the Materialism Values Scale for College Students, the Telecom Network Susceptibility to Internet Fraud Questionnaire, the Self-Control Scale for Chinese College Students and the Social Comparison Effect Scale. Results revealed a positive correlation between materialism and susceptibility to online fraud, with self-control serving as a mediating factor and social comparison as a moderating factor. In Study 2, 144 Chinese college students were recruited for an experimental study to induce varying levels of materialism via a scrambled-sentence paradigm, while manipulating the direction of social comparison. Findings confirmed that materialism directly influences susceptibility to online fraud, with self-control as a mediating variable and social comparison as a moderating variable. In conclusion, under conditions of upward social comparison, materialism significantly heightens online fraud risk by undermining self-control. This study discusses these findings in detail and proposes future research directions.