Political Consumerism: How Communication and Consumption Orientations Drive “Lifestyle Politicsâ€

Dhavan V. Shah, Douglas M. McLeod, Eunkyung Kim, Sun Young Lee, Melissa R. Gotlieb, Shirley S. Ho and Hilde Breivik
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Dhavan V. Shah: School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Douglas M. McLeod: School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Eunkyung Kim: School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Sun Young Lee: School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Melissa R. Gotlieb: School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Shirley S. Ho: School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Hilde Breivik: School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 2007, vol. 611, issue 1, 217-235

Abstract: Historians and cultural theorists have long asserted that a desire to express political concerns often guides consumer behavior, yet such political consumerism has received limited attention from social scientists. Here, the authors explore the relationship of political consumerism with dispositional factors, communication variables, and consumption orientations using data collected from a panel survey conducted in the United States between February 2002 and July 2005. The authors test a theorized model using both cross-sectional and auto-regressive panel analyses. The static and change models reveal that conventional and online news use encourage political consumerism indirectly through their influence on political talk and environmental concerns. However, media use may also have some suppressive effects by reducing the desire to protect others from harmful messages. Results demonstrate how communication practices and consumption orientations work together to influence political consumerism beyond previously delineated factors. Implications for declines in political and civic participation and youth socialization are discussed.

Keywords: antisweatshop; boycott; buycott; fair trade; lifestyle politics; political consumerism; socially conscious consumption (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:anname:v:611:y:2007:i:1:p:217-235

DOI: 10.1177/0002716206298714

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