Skip to main content
Log in

Measuring customer satisfaction: Fact and artifact

  • Published:
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Self-reports of customer satisfaction invariably possess distributions that are negatively skewed and exhibit a positivity bias. Examination of the customer satisfaction literature and empirical investigations reveal that measurements of customer satisfaction exhibit tendencies of confounding and methodological contamination and appear to reflect numerous artifacts. Implications and suggestions for research and practice are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anderson, Rolph E. 1973. “Consumer, Dissatisfaction: The Effect of Disconfirmed Expectancy on Perceived Product Performance.”Journal of Marketing Research 10 (February): 38–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, Ronald D., Jack L. Engledow, and Helmut Becker., 1979. “Evaluating the Relationships Among Attitude Toward Business, Product Satisfaction, Experience, and Search Effort.”Journal of Marketing Research 16 (August): 394–400.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andreasen, Alan R. 1984. “Life Status Changes and Changes in Consumer Preferences and Satisfaction.”Journal of Consumer Research 11 (December): 784–794.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andrews, Frank M. and Stephen B. Withey 1976.Social Indicators of Well-Being. New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bearden, William O. and Jesse E. Teel. 1983. “Selected Determinants of Consumer Satisfaction and Complaint Reports”Journal of Marketing Research 20 (February): 21–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bertrand, Kate. 1989a. “With Customers, the Closer the Better.”Business Marketing 74 (July): 68–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • —. 1989b. “Putting Customers First.”Business Marketing 74 (December): 30–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cadotte, Ernest R., Robert B. Woodruff, and Roger L. Jenkins. 1987. “Expectations and Norms in Models of Consumer Satisfaction.”Journal of Marketing Research 24 (August): 305–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, Angus. 1981.The Sense of Well-Being in America. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cardozo, Richard N. 1965. “An Experimental Study of Consumer Effort, Expectation, and Satisfaction.”Journal of Marketing Research 2 (August): 244–249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Czepiel, John A., Larry J. Rosenberg, and Adebayo Akerele. 1974. “Perspectives on Consumer Satisfaction.” InAMA Combined Proceedings, pp. 119–123 Ed. Ronald Curham. Chicago: American Marketing Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diamantopoulos, A., A. C. Tynan and R. Hughes. 1988. “Determinants of Customer Satisfaction Among Luxury Car Buyers: An Empirical Analysis.”Irish Marketing Review 3 (March): 149–162.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diblase, Donna. 1988. “Most HMO Enrollees Satisfied: Survey.”Business Insurance 22 (November 7): 57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diener, Ed. 1984. “Subjective Well-Being.”Psychological Bulletin 95 (May): 542–585.

  • Diener, Ed, Robert A. Emmons, Randy J. Larsen, and Sharon Griffin. 1985. “The Satisfaction with Life Scale.”Journal of Personality Assessment 49 (February): 71–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • El-Guebaly, N., J. Toews, A. Leckie and D. Harper. 1983. “On Evaluating Patient Satisfaction: Methodological Issues.”Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 28 (February): 24–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Engledow, Jack L. 1977. “Was Consumer Satisfaction a Pig in a Poke?”Business Horizons 20 (April): 87–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fisk, Trevor A., Carmhiel J. Brown, Kathleen Cannizzaro, and Barbara Naftal. 1990. “Creating Patient Satisfaction and Loyalty.”Journal of Health Care Marketing 10 (June): 5–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fitzgerald, Kate. 1990. “Sears’ Plan on the Ropes.”Advertising Age 61 (January 8): 1, 42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Floyd, Marilyn J. 1975. “Are Parents Satisfied with their Children’s Education?”Florida Journal of Educational Research 17: 16–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fornell, Claes and William T. Robinson. 1983. “Industrial Organization and Consumer Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction.”Journal of Consumer Research 9 (March): 403–412.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Francken, Dick A. and W. Fred van Raaij. 1985. “Socio-Economic and Demographic Determinants of Consumer Problem Perception.”Journal of Consumer Policy 8 (September): 303–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, Judith H. and Michael C. Dornan 1988. “Meta-Analysis of Satisfaction with Medical Care: Description of Research Domain and Analysis of Overall Satisfaction Levels.”Social Science and Medicine 27 (6): 637–644.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Headey, Bruce and Alex Wearing. 1988. “The Sense of Relative Superiority—Central to Well-Being.”Social Indicators Research 20 (October): 497–516.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill Ronald Paul and James C. Ward. 1989. “Mood Manipulation in Marketing Research: An Examination of Potential Confounding Effects.”Journal of Marketing Research 26 (February): 97–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, Donald A. 1977. “An Investigation of the Relation of Selected Factors to Consumer Satisfaction.” InConceptualization and Measurement of Consumer Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction, pp. 300–332. Ed. Keith Hunt. Cambridge, MA: Marketing Science Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunt, H. Keith. 1977. “CS/D—Overview, and Future Research Directions.” InConceptualization and Measurement of Consumer Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction, pp. 455–489. Ed. Keith Hunt. Cambridge, MA: Marketing Science Institute, 455–489.

    Google Scholar 

  • “Improving Customer Satisfaction: What Works? What Doesn’t?” 1989.Chief Executive 12 (September/October): 90–92.

  • Isen, Alice M., Margaret Clark, Thomas E. Shalker, and Lynn Karp. 1978. “Affect, Accessibility of Material in Memory, and Behavior.”Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 36 (January): 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jacoby, Jacob, Donald E. Speller, and Carol Kohn Berning. 1974. “Brand Choice Behavior as a Function of Information Load: Replication and Extension.”Journal of Consumer Research 1 (June): 33–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jacoby, Jacob, Donald E. Speller, and Carol A. Kohn. 1974. “Brand Choice Behavior as a Function of Information Load.”Journal of Marketing Research 11 (February): 63–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Justice, Blair and George McBee. 1978. “A Client Satisfaction Survey as One Element in Evaluation.”Community Mental Health Journal 14 (Fall): 248–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahneman, Daniel and Amos Tversky. 1979. “Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision Under Risk.”Econometrica 47 (March): 263–291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahneman, Daniel and Amos Tversky. 1984. “Choices, Values, and Frames.”American Psychologist 39 (April): 341–350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohut, Andrew and Linda DeStefano. 1989. “Modern Employees Expect More from their Careers; Job dissatisfaction Particularly High Among the Young.”The Gallup Report 288 (September): 22–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaBarbara, Priscilla A. and David Mazursky. 1983. “A Longitudinal Assessment of Consumer Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction: The Dynamic Aspect of the Cognitive Process.”Journal of Marketing Research 20 (November): 393–404.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larsen, Randy J., Ed Diener, and Robert A. Emmons. 1985. “An Evaluation of Subjective Well-Being Measures.”Social Indicators Research 17 (July): 1–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lebow, Jay L. 1982. “Consumer Satisfaction with Mental Health Treatment.”Psychological Bulletin 91 (March): 244–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • —, 1983. “Research Assessing Consumer Satisfaction with Mental Health Treatment: A Review of the Findings.”Evaluation and Program Planning 6 (3,4): 211–236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levin, Irwin P. 1987. “Associative Effects of Information Framing.”Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society 25 (March): 85–86.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levin, Irwin P., Richard D. Johnson, and Maria Davis. 1987. “How Information Frame Influences Risky Decisions: Between-Subjects and Within-Subjects Comparisons.”Journal of Economic Psychology 8 (March): 53–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • LeVois Maurice, Tuan D. Nguyen, and Clifford Attkisson. 1981. “Artifact in Client Satisfaction Assessment: Experience in Community Mental Health Settings.”Evaluation and Program Planning 4 (April):, 139–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lloyd, Sally A., Rodney M. Cate, and June M. Henton. 1984. “Predicting Premarital Relationship Stability: A Methodological Refinement.”Journal of Marriage and the Family 46 (February): 71–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maddox, R. Neil. 1982. “The Structure of Consumers’ Satisfaction: Cross-Product Comparisons.”Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 10 (Winter): 37–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McClendon, McKee J. and David J. O’Brien. 1988. “Question-Order Effects on the Determinants of Subjective Well-Being.”Public Opinion Quarterly 52 (Fall): 351–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McMahon, Robert J. and Rex L. Forehand. 1983. “Consumer Satisfaction in Behavioral Treatments of Children: Types, Issues, and Recommendations.”Behavior Therapy 14 (March): 209–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNeal, James U. and Charles W. Lamb. 1979. “Consumer Satisfaction as a Measure of Marketing Effectiveness.”Akron Business and Economic Review 10 (Summer): 41–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Michalos, Alex C. 1986. “An Application of Multiple Discrepancies Theory (MDT) to Seniors.”Social Indicators Research 18 (November): 349–373.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Okun Morris A., Robert W. Olding, and Catherine M.G. Cohn. 1990. “A Meta-Analysis of subjective Well-Being Interventions Among Elders.”Psychological Bulletin 108 (September): 257–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oliver, Richard L. 1980. “A Cognitive Model of the Antecedents and Consequences of Satisfaction Decisions.”Journal of Marketing Research 17 (November): 460–469.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • — 1981. “Measurement and Evaluation of Satisfaction Process in Retail Settings.”Journal of Retailing (Fall): 25–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parducci, Allen. 1965. “Category Judgment: A Range-Frequency Model.”Psychological Review 72 (November): 407–418.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, Robert A. and Matthew Sauber. 1983. “A Mood Scale for Survey Research.” InAMA Educators’ Proceedings, pp. 409–414. Ed. Patrick B. Murphy, et al. Chicago: American Marketing Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prakash, Ved and J. Michael Munson. 1985. “Values, Expectations from the Marketing System and Product Expectations.”Psychology and Marketing 2 (Winter): 279–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reibstein, David J., Stuart A. Youngblood, and Howard L. Fromkin. 1975. “Number of Choices and Perceived Decision Freedom as a Determinant of Satisfaction and Consumer Behavior.”Journal of Applied Psychology 60 (August): 434–437.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ricerea Sulla Qualita’ Percepita Dogli Utenti Del Servizio Autotelefono. 1989.SIP Servizion Opinioni.

  • Richins, Marsha L. 1983. “Negative Word-of-Mouth by Dissatisfied Consumers: A Pilot Study.”Journal of Marketing 47 (Winter): 68–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sabourin, Stephane, Lise Bourgeois, Pierre Gendreau, and Monique Morval. 1989. “Self Deception, Impression Management, and Consumer Satisfaction with Mental Health Treatment.”Psychological Assessment: A Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 1, (June): 126–129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sabourin, Stephane, Noalla Laferriere, Francesca Sicuro, Jean-Claude Coallier, Louis-Georges Cournoyer, and Pierre Gendreau. 1989. “Social Desirability, Psychological Distress, and Consumer Satisfaction with Mental Health Treatment.”Journal of Counseling Psychology 36 (July): 352–356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schuman, Howard and Stanley Presser. 1981.Questions and Answers in Attitude Surveys. New York:, Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwarz, Norbert and Gerald L. Clore. 1983. “Mood, Misattribution, and Judgments of Well-Being: Informative and Directive Functions of Affective States.”Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 45 (September): 513–523.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwarz, Norbert, Hans J. Hippler, Brigitte Deutsch, and Fritz Strack. 1985. “Response Scales: Effects of Category Range on Reported Behavior and Comparative Judgments.”Public Opinion Quarterly 49 (Fall): 388–395.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, Ivan C. 1989. “Auditing Customer Satisfaction”Management Review 78 (May): 52–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, Tom W. 1979. “Happiness: Time Trends, Seasonal Variations, Intersurvey Differences, and Other Mysteries.”Social Psychology Quarterly 42 (March): 18–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strack, Fritz, Leonard L. Martin, and Norbert Schwarz. 1988. “Priming and Communication: Social Determinants of Information Use in Judgments of Life Satisfaction.”European Journal of Social Psychology 18 (October–November): 429–442.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strack, Fritz, Norbert Schwarz, and Elisabeth Gschneidinger. 1985. “Happiness and Reminiscing: The Role of Time Perspective, Affect, and Mode of Thinking.”Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 49 (December): 1460–1469.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sudman, Seymour. 1967.Reducing the Cost of Surveys. Chicago: Aldine Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swan, John E. 1969. “Experimental Analysis of Predecision Information Seeking.”Journal of Marketing Research 6 (May): 192–197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swan, John E., Jesse C. Sawyer, Joseph G. Van Matre, and Gail W McGee. 1985. “Deepening the Understanding of Hospital Patient Satisfaction: Fulfillment and Equity Effects.”Journal of Health Care Marketing 5 (Summer): 7–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tanner, Barry A. and Webb Stacy, Jr. 1985. “A Validity Scale for the Sharp Consumer Satisfaction Scales.”Evaluation and Program Planning 8(2): 147–153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tversky, Amos and Daniel Kahneman. 1981. “The Framing of Decisions and the Psychology of Choice.”Science 211 (January): 353–458.

    Google Scholar 

  • Underwood, Bill and William J. Froming. 1980. “The Mood Survey: A Personality Measure of Happy and Sad Moods.”Journal of Personality Assessment 44 (August): 404–414.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ware, John E. 1978. “Effects of Acquiescent Response Set on Patient Satisfaction Ratings.”Medical Care 16 (April): 327–336.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ware, John E. and Allyson R. Davies. 1983. “Behavioral Consequences of Consumer Dissatisfaction with Medical Care.”Evaluation and Program Planning 6 (3,4): 291–297.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ware, John E., Allyson R. Davies-Avery, and Anita L. Stewart. 1978. “The Measurement and Meaning of Patient Satisfaction.”Health and Medical Care Services Review 1 (January/February): 1–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wedell, Douglas H. and Allen Parducci. 1988. “The Category Effect in Social Judgment: Experimental Ratings of Happiness.”Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 55 (September): 341–356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weinstein, Michal., 1989. “Consumers Still Like Service, But Their Enthusiasm Erodes.”American Banker Consumer Survey 6: 18, 20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Westbrook, Robert A. 1980a. “Intrapersonal Affective Influences on Consumer Satisfaction with Products.”Journal of Consumer Research 7 (June): 49–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • —. 1980b. “A Rating Scale for Measuring Product/Service Satisfaction.”Journal of Marketing 44 (Fall): 68–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Westbrook, Robert A. and Joseph A. Cote. 1979. “An Exploratory Study of Non-Product-Related Influences upon Consumer Satisfaction.” InAdvances in Consumer Research, pp. 577–581. Ed. Jerry C. Olson. Ann Arbor, MI: Association for Consumer Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Westbrook, Robert A. and Joseph W. Newman. 1978. “An Analysis of Shopper Dissatisfaction for Major Household Appliances”.Journal of Marketing Research 15 (August): 456–466.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Willerman, Lee. 1979.The Psychology of Individual and Group Differences. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman and Co.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilton, Peter C. and Franco M. Nicosia. 1986. “Emerging Paradigms for the Study of Consumer Satisfaction.”European Research 14 (1): 4–11.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Vyvx, Inc.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Peterson, R.A., Wilson, W.R. Measuring customer satisfaction: Fact and artifact. JAMS 20, 61–71 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02723476

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02723476

Keywords

Navigation