The Emergence of the "Conscious Consumer": An Analysis of Political Participation through Purchasing Decisions La emergencia del «consumidor consciente»: un análisis de la participación política a través de las decisiones de compra

• Published in: Revista española de investigaciones sociológicas Vol. 158; no. 158; pp. 59 - 76
• Main Authors: Espejo, Isabel García, Vázquez, Amparo Novo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Spanish
• Published: Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas 01.04.2017
• Subjects: Civic Engagement; conscious Consumer; political Consumption; political Participation
• ISSN: 0210-5233
• DOI: 10.5477/cis/reis.158.59

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.