The Emergence of the “Conscious Consumer”: An Analysis of Political Participation through Purchasing Decisions

Abstract

Conscious consumers convert their buying habits into political habits,
both through their individual actions and by participating in social
movements, thus changing the market into a public arena and an area
to practice democracy. In this article, we analyse what factors predict
the behaviour of conscious consumers and of conscious consumers
with a stable trajectory. In addition, we examine whether political
consumerism resembles actions of civic engagement or other forms of
political participation. The results indicate that the probability of
becoming a conscious consumer is related to political participation and
the resources acquired in the process of socialization.