This research investigated current consumer attitudes about clothing and textile flammability legislation in relation to socioeconomic class and parental status. One hundred fifty women from six different regions in Virginia participated in this study. Data was collected by telephone interview.
There were no statistically significant differences in the responses of women in relation to socio-economic class as determined by the McGuire-White (Short Form). However, the following findings were observed: Upper-middle class respondents were most likely to know about existing flame retardant (FR) standards and to consider FR apparel as "very important" for all ages of children, and adults, 65 years and over. They were least likely to desire FR standards on clothing for adults, ages 15 through 64. Lower-middle class women were most inclined to think there should be FR standards on all clothing, regardless of age of wearer. Women from the upper-lower class were least likely to know about existing FR standards and higher price of these protective textile items; more of these women than any other socio-economic group believed that the government and/or clothing manufacturers should assume the responsibility for protecting consumers from unsafe textile products, while women from the upper middle class were most inclined to think consumers should protect themselves.
Analysis of the data was statistically significant for some of the differences in responses when the women were categorized as parents or non-parents. Parents were more likely to consider FR clothing "very important" for adults, 65 and older but less inclined to believe that clothing with FR finishes was "very important" for adults, ages 15 through 64. Parents were also more likely than non-parents to own FR clothing and have knowledge about special care and price of FR textile products.
Most respondents had some knowledge of FR standards. The largest proportion of the total sample indicated that they thought there should be FR standards on clothing for all children up to age 14, adults over 65, and disabled and handicapped people. A majority of the women also believed that all consumers should have a choice available in the retail market between FR and regular clothing, especially for those people between the ages of 15 and 64. FR clothing was considered "very important" for all children up to age 14, adults over 65, and disabled and handicapped people by most of the homemakers. Approximately one-third of all respondents had some personal knowledge of fire injuries, owned FR apparel, and were aware that it costs more than regular clothing. A vast majority of the women were willing to pay more for added protection from fabrics which burn easily, and thought the government should check products on the market for safety and should educate the public about fire hazards rather than passing new laws. Government and clothing manufacturers were the two sectors of the economy that most respondents thought should assume the responsibility for protecting consumers from dangerously flammable fabrics and apparel. / Master of Science
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/65068 |
| Date | January 1977 |
| Creators | Patterson, Beverly Gould |
| Contributors | Clothing, Textiles, and Related Arts |
| Publisher | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Text |
| Format | vi, 97 leaves, application/pdf, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
| Relation | OCLC# 39849960 |
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