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Symbolic Consumption in the Emotional Economy — A Study on the Psychological Motivations and Mediating Mechanisms of Labubu Blind Box Consumption among Generation Z

Jianning Dang, Qing Wang, Lirong Zhang

Study on Journalism and Communication / 2026,6(1): 34-59 / 2026-08-19 8 5

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• Information:

  School of Business and Media, Lanzhou University of Finance and Economics, Lanzhou

• Keywords:
  Blind box consumption; Psychological perception; Mediating effect; Youth subculture; Generation Z
• Abstract: This study focuses on the phenomenon of Generation Z’s blind box consumption, using the Pop Mart’s Labubu series as an example, to explore the psychological motivations and underlying mechanisms driving behind their consumption behavior. A theoretical model was constructed with the four-dimensional demand characteristics of “self-expression, circle socialization, emotional healing, and experience preference” as independent variables, and the four psychological perceptions of “IP identification, community belonging, emotional value perception, and interaction experience satisfaction” as mediating variables. A structural equation model analysis was conducted on 351 valid questionnaires. The study found that the four demand characteristics of Generation Z not only directly drive consumption behavior, but also indirectly influence through the mediating effect of psychological perceptions, with the mediating effect accounting for 47%. Among them, circle socialization and experience preference are the core driving forces, while community belonging and IP identification play the most crucial role in psychological perceptions. This study reveals the internal logic of blind box consumption from material acquisition to meaning construction and emotional connection, providing empirical evidence for understanding youth subculture consumption.
• DOI: 10.35534/sjc.0601004 (registering DOI)
• Cite: Dang, J. N., Wang, Q., & Zhang, L. R. (2026). Symbolic Consumption in the Emotional Economy — A Study on the Psychological Motivations and Mediating Mechanisms of Labubu Blind Box Consumption among Generation Z. Study on Journalism and Communication, 6(1), 34−59.