To Buy or Not to Buy: Determinants of Socially Responsible Consumer Behavior and Consumer Reactions to Cause-Related and Boycotting Ads

Using U.S. national survey data, we identify consumer characteristics (altruism, opinion leadership, attitudes toward big business and brand values, beliefs in advertising ethics) that relate to buycotting and boycotting as two forms of socially responsible consumer behavior (SRCB). In a follow-up experiment, we show that some of these characteristics are also associated with consumer reactions to cause-related and boycotting ads. Altruism and beliefs in advertising ethics are significantly related to participants' responses to cause-related advertising, whereas SRCB tendency and advertising ethics appear more strongly related to boycotting advertising effects.