A1 Level – Elementary
1. Do you like buying things?
2. What is a new phone?
3. Do you think advertising works?
4. What is a cheap price?
5. Do you need many clothes?
6. What is a big store?
7. Do you buy fast food?
8. What is a strong desire?
9. Do you think consumerism is good for the economy?
10. What is a big credit card bill?
11. Do you feel happy after shopping?
12. What is a simple life?
13. Do you worry about waste?
14. What are three things you buy often?
15. Do you think consumerism is a problem?
A2 Level – Pre-Intermediate
1. What is the difference between a need and a want?
2. Why does advertising make people feel they need new products?
3. What are the good things and bad things about mass production?
4. How can a person shop more sustainably?
5. Should all schools teach children about critical advertising reading?
6. Why is it important to think before making a large purchase?
7. Do you think buying new things leads to long-term happiness?
8. What is the purpose of Black Friday sales?
9. How does technology (online shopping) make it easier to buy impulsively?
10. What is the difference between saving money and spending it all?
11. Do you think people buy more things than they really need?
12. What are the problems when high consumerism causes massive waste?
13. When is the best time to buy a used item?
14. What are two things that drive consumer culture?
15. How does consumerism affect the environment?
B1 Level – Intermediate
1. What are the rules for politely discussing someone’s spending habits?
2. How does the pressure to buy the newest technology affect financial stability?
3. Should the government ban all forms of advertising targeting children?
4. What is the difference between purchasing as a necessity and purchasing as a hobby?
5. Do you believe that consumerism is essential for job creation?
6. What are the challenges of resisting peer pressure to buy certain brands?
7. How does the focus on quick gratification affect the long-term value of a purchase?
8. What is the idea of “ethical consumerism”?
9. Is it fair or unfair when developing countries are pressured to adopt high consumer standards?
10. How does a lack of financial literacy lead to overspending?
11. What are the steps for properly creating a minimal monthly budget?
12. What is the value of investing in high-quality, durable goods?
13. Should public media criticize the practice of throwing away perfectly usable items?
14. What are the reasons why some people believe consumerism provides personal freedom?
15. How does the history of manufacturing affect modern consumer choice?
B2 Level – Upper-Intermediate
1. What are the social pressures to display wealth through expensive purchases?
2. What are the moral problems when products are made using unethical labor practices?
3. How does constant online shopping affect a person’s emotional well-being?
4. Should companies be legally required to design products that are easy to repair?
5. Analyze the psychological effect of using material goods to fill an emotional void.
6. Who is responsible for promoting anti-consumerist values?
7. What is your view on the practice of companies deliberately making products fail (planned obsolescence)?
8. Evaluate the role of large corporations in shaping public values towards material possessions.
9. How does the concept of “status symbol” drive unnecessary consumption?
10. Discuss the concept of “buy less, choose well” (sustainable consumption).
11. What are the problems with having very different consumer protection laws globally?
12. What are the legal differences between a warranty claim and a general return policy?
13. Do you agree that the purpose of consumerism is mainly to drive economic growth?
14. What steps should be taken to ensure that all products are fully recyclable?
15. How does the environmental cost of consumption challenge the idea of a growing economy?
C1 Level – Advanced
1. Is it fair that the environmental cost of Western consumerism is paid by the global south?
2. What is the right way to think about a consumer’s moral duty to consider the full supply chain?
3. How do the platform’s algorithms influence the type of impulsive purchases that are targeted to specific users?
4. When should the government consider mandatory limits on non-essential consumption?
5. What are the moral questions when we talk about using psychological tools to create artificial demand?
6. How does the focus on quick profit affect the long-term, necessary investment in sustainable production systems?
7. Discuss the impact of mass debt on the stability of the global financial system.
8. How should leaders use tax incentives to promote the production of non-material services over goods?
9. What is the idea of “anti-consumption movements” and their political power?
10. What are the long-term effects on society when personal identity is defined by brands?
11. What are the difficulties when courts try to decide if a product’s poor quality was intentional?
12. How does the search for total convenience conflict with the ethical need for sustainable choice?
13. Do you agree that the most important thing is the political challenge to the current economic system?
14. What are the simple moral rules a person should follow when they benefit from a high-status purchase?
15. Should the government set a legal minimum for the amount of time a product must function without failure?
C2 Level – Proficiency
1. What is the real difference between a person’s desire for comfort and their psychological compulsion to buy?
2. Debate the idea: Should we completely eliminate all non-essential retail advertising?
3. How does the concept of “happiness” change when it is defined by the endless acquisition of goods?
4. What laws or rules are needed to control how technology platforms use personalized data to encourage overspending?
5. How do historical views of class, status, and luxury affect modern spending habits?
6. How can communities maintain their public spaces when they are constantly commercialized?
7. Argue the point that humans should stop all attempts to regulate consumption and allow the individual total freedom of choice.
8. What protection should laws give to employees who report unethical labor practices in the supply chain?
9. How can we stop the problem of using the argument of “choice” to justify unsustainable consumption?
10. What did old thinkers say about wealth, virtue, and the moral use of money that is still relevant today?
11. What will happen to the need for human labor if automation reduces the workforce needed for constant production?
12. How do people use the idea of “supporting the economy” to avoid discussing their debt?
13. How does the experience of a major financial crisis improve a person’s appreciation for durable possessions?
14. What is the power of a collective movement to demand that companies shift to a circular economic model?
15. If scientists could create a perfect, sustainable, personalized product, how would that fundamentally change the purpose of consumerism?
