Wal-Mart's Conscientious Objectors: Perceived Illegitimacy, Moral Anger, and Retaliatory Consumer Behavior

In 2 studies, participants' perceptions and emotional responses toward Wal-Mart were investigated. Moral anger was tested as a mediator of the relationships between ethical concerns and willingness to support or take confrontational actions against Wal-Mart. In Study 1, greater ethical concerns predicted less consumer support and increased willingness to take confrontational actions; moral anger mediated this relationship. In Study 2, moral mandates positively predicted people's ethical concerns while ethical concerns predicted increased moral anger. Willingness to protest retail organizations is not simply motivated by rational judgments about economic self-interest as consumers' ethical perceptions and moral emotions can motivate such actions.