가격 기대불일치가 소비자의 시장평가에 미치는 영향

This study empirically examines the impact of price expectation disconfirmation-the discrepancy between consumers’ expected and actual payment prices-on consumer market evaluations. In particular, it focuses on how consumer responses differ depending on the direction of the disconfirmation (positive vs. negative). Using data from the 2024 Consumer Market Evaluation Index collected by the Korea Consumer Agency (n = 40,000), the analysis investigates the effects of price expectation disconfirmation on evaluations of seller trustworthiness, price fairness, and institutional trust. The results indicate that positive disconfirmation (i.e., when the actual price is lower than expected) does not significantly influence market evaluation, whereas negative disconfirmation (i.e., when the actual price exceeds expectations) consistently exerts strong negative effects across all evaluation dimensions. Notably, the perception of price fairness (justice) was the most adversely affected, suggesting that disappointment with price can erode consumer trust not only in individual transactions but in the overall market structure. By empirically confirming the asymmetric effects of disconfirmation direction and consumers’ perceptions of price information, this study offers practical implications for designing consumer protection policies aimed at improving price transparency and restoring market trust.