Personality Traits and Political Consumerism: Exploring the Role of Boycotting Behavior in Contemporary Consumer Activism

Abstract Book of the 10th International Conference on Modern Approaches in Humanities and Social Sciences

Year: 2025

[PDF]

Personality Traits and Political Consumerism: Exploring the Role of Boycotting Behavior in Contemporary Consumer Activism

Samara Saifullah

ABSTRACT:

This study examines the relationship among personality traits, demographic variables, and political consumerism, focusing on boycotting behaviour as a manifestation of consumer activism. Political consumerism, in which consumers base their purchasing decisions on ethical, social, or political values, has emerged as a pivotal instrument for global social change. Using a quantitative design, data were gathered from 132 participants to investigate behavioural engagement in boycotting, attitudes towards boycotting, and personality profiles characterised by the Big Five traits. The study examined hypotheses concerning gender, income, and participation in boycotts, in conjunction with personality dimensions. The findings indicate no substantial gender disparities in boycotting attitudes or behaviours, with the exception that females exhibited higher scores in Neuroticism. Income did not exhibit a significant correlation with political consumerism behaviours or attitudes. There was a strong positive relationship between behavioural engagement and attitudes towards boycotting. Personality traits, on the other hand, had little predictive power, except for a possible link between Agreeableness and participation in a boycott. The research substantiates political consumerism as a complex and multifaceted phenomenon shaped predominantly by emotional and social influences rather than socio-economic conditions or overarching personality traits.

Keywords: Political Consumerism, Boycotting Behavior, Big Five Personality Traits, Gender Differences, Income, Consumer Activism, Political Psychology