The Politics of Purchasing: Ethical Consumerism, Civic Engagement, and Political Participation in the United States Meredith Ann Katz Dissertation submitted to the faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology Anthony Kwame Harrison, Chair Marian Mollin John Ryan Dale Wimberley November 1, 2011 Blacksburg, Virginia Keywords: ethical consumerism, political consumerism, labor rights, political participation, consumer activism, citizen-consumer, social justice The Politics of Purchasing: Ethical Consumerism, Civic Engagement, and Political Participation in the United States Meredith Ann Katz ABSTRACT Although the United States is the world’s leading consumer nation, limited empirical research exists on the relationship between consumer choices and political participation. This study provides the first quantitative analysis of the demographic characteristics, motivations, and political activities of political and ethical consumers in the United States. Ethical consumers are broadly defined as socially responsible consumers including the subset of political consumers. Political consumers, while also socially responsible, are primarily concerned with achievement of political or social change through purchasing decisions. While political and ethical consumers engage in similar behaviors, the distinguishing factor between the two is motivation. Participation in both political and ethical consumerism is measured through buycotting (intentionally purchasing) or boycotting (intentionally abstaining from purchasing) of particular products or companies. Based on data from the 2002 National Civic Engagement Survey II, this study finds income and education significantly predict participation in political and ethical consumerism, while race and gender do not. Across political parties, the stronger a respondents’ political affiliation, the less likely they are to boycott or buycott. This study also finds the primary motivation of participation for 80 percent of boycotters and buycotters is altruistic (ethical consumerism) rather than the achievement of political objectives (political consumerism). Additionally, political and ethical consumers indicate little belief in the ability for their purchases to alter business practices and do not consider their actions a part of organized campaigns. Political and ethical consumers are politically active and those individuals who contact public officials, protest, and sign email or written petitions are significantly more likely to boycott or buycott than those who do not. This research adds to existing consumer culture and political participation literatures highlighting the viability of citizen-consumerism and nuanced forms of political action. In lieu of these findings, suggestions are offered to consumer-activist groups and social change organizations regarding the most effective strategies for mobilizing a broader base of political and ethical consumers. iii This dissertation is dedicated to workers worldwide. “The only revolution that might work is a consumer revolution. We stop buying produced by slave labor and stop working for companies that enslave us.”-Anonymous iv Acknowledgments This Ph.D. would never have happened without the love, help, and support of so many of you. Here are my thank you’s. The list is long, but I am so grateful. To my family. My mother, sister, and grandmother. I know it sometimes seemed as if I would never finish school, but today, I finally am (seriously, this time). I am so grateful to come from a family of women who encourage me to pursue my dreams and to follow my heart. I do not think you all realize how rare that actually is. Thank you. To my committee. Kwame Harrison, you have been with me since day one. I am so grateful for your guidance and for your encouragement to produce my best work. John Ryan, thank you for your amazing theoretical insight and your ability to see the wide-ranging implications of this project. Dale Wimberley, you are a true scholar-activist. In many ways, your Global Division of Labor class was the catalyst for this dissertation and my introduction to labor rights work. Thank you for the reminder that change is possible, even at the highest of levels. Marian Mollin, your vast knowledge of labor rights made this project immeasurably better. Thank you for reminding me that everything is not “activist,” as much as I sometimes want it to be. To my mentors. Dean DePauw, thank you does not suffice for my level of gratitude. Thank you for believing in me, for teaching me, for supporting me, and for providing me with international experiences that changed my life. Polanah, I am so thankful my obstinate freshman self landed in your Introduction to Africana Studies class so many years ago. I am proud to call you not only mentor, but friend. Thank you for all your unsolicited advice and the ways you challenged my thinking throughout the years. To my friends. I love you all. Thanks to the following for being phenomenal friends and all around stellar people: Laura Toni Holsinger—my sister in social justice. It seems only fitting we met at a protest ten years ago. Your commitment to social justice continually challenges and inspires me. Ari-Anne Fuchtman-you taught me the invaluable lesson of learning what it means to surround myself with people and to make choices that are life-giving. Molly Hanson-you are the most generous soul on this planet. How fortunate I am to call you friend. Lynn Caldwell-I am so glad we did the grad school gig together. Twice. Thank you for the reminders to have fun along the way. I am pretty sure we did. Libbey Bowen-along with being the smartest and wisest person I know, you are an amazingly faithful friend. Thanks for all the advice—you have never been wrong. Ed and Maya Skopal-you remind me of the joys of a simple life. Your presence is a sanctuary. Linsey Barker- I love how open and honest our friendship is. Thank you for continually reminding me I could do this. Laura Boutwell- you have the most fantastic perspective on life. I hope to one day, too, see everything as a miracle. Jeff Toussaint-your presence in this world makes it more peaceful for the rest of us. Amanda Sikes-your laugh cheers me up instantly. Your realness inspires me. Anna Kozicki-Skopal- you simply have an amazing heart. Everyone should be fortunate enough to have a friend like you. Tara Frank- thank you for never letting me off the hook with easy answers. Nicole Sanderlin-your presence and outlook on life are so peaceful. Remember, whether it is clear to you or not, no doubt the universe is working out as it should. Monica Licher-your intentionality helped me through so many days. Thank you for reminding me to see the truth. Jamie MacLean-our Saturday morning runs kept v me sane. You are so genuine and I love it. Amy Sorenson-you are amazingly talented and I am so privileged to call you friend. All those rides sure made for some great conversations. Tiffany Gayle Chenault-I’ll always be your BC. Brennan Shepard and Tim Lockridge-you are the brothers I never had. Thanks for always looking out for me. Ennis McCreery-you might just be the best listener on the planet. Thank you for always having an open door. Carson Byrd-your statistical knowledge (and incredible patience) were invaluable to this project. Please know your generosity did not go unnoticed. To 302 Upland-Callie Raulfs-Wang, Dongbo Wang, Sher Vogel, and Amanda Davis—thank you for including me in the family. I’ve missed our dinners for over a year now. Emily Martin, Jill Casten and Cory Epler-I cannot imagine being packed in the back of a sweaty cab in Kuwait with anyone else. We sure have a lifetime full of memories. JP Mason-your enthusiasm for social justice is contagious. I am so grateful to have caught some of it and to have had the privilege of working alongside you. To my Blacksburg family—Joe and Shauna Mugavero, Natalie and Mark Cherbaka, Jed and Stacie Castro, JP Mason, and Terri Dewey. Our infamous NHT times, communal dinners, Villa Appalachia trips, Palisades dinners, cabana and spring break trips are some of my most cherished memories. I have never laughed so much (or fallen off as many benches) as I have with you all. Finally, Oakland. At the time I did not know what leaving would look like. Apparently it was a Ph.D. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ii Dedication iv Acknowledgments v Table of Contents vii List of Tables viii Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Chapter 2 Literature Review 11 Consumer Culture 11 Citizens or Consumers? 23 Measuring Political Participation 29 Defining Political and Ethical Consumerism 30 Political Participation 35 Debates: Purchasing as Politics 37 Redefining Political Participation 40 Predictors of Participation in Political Action 41 Precursors to Action 54 Consumption Matters 58 Chapter 3 Methodology 63 Data 63 Analytic Strategy 65 Data Limitations and Question Selection Criteria 68 Research Questions 71 Chapter 4 Results 81 A Profile of Survey Respondents 81 RQ1: Who are Boycotters and Buycotters? 85 RQ2: Do Political Consumers Engage in Other Forms of 88 Political Action? RQ3: Is there a Difference Between Individuals who Boycott 92 and Buycott? RQ4: Why Do Individuals Participate in Political Consumerism? 94 RQ5: Do Individuals Who Boycott or Buycott Most Often Act 100 Alone or as a part of an Organized Campaign? vii Chapter 5 Discussion and Conclusions 146 Overview of Ethical Consumers 146 Characteristics of Ethical Consumers 149 Political