Is There Room for Ethical Consumers on the Finnish Political Spectrum?

Abstract

This paper examines ethical consumption by comparing attitudes between different political party supporters. In recent consumer theories, it is argued that individualistic choices are more important than collective and structural interests. However, shared opinions, norms, and beliefs continue to influence consumer attitudes. This is particularly true when analysing attitudes concerning the use of consumer markets for ethical purposes. Accordingly, we argue that personal political preference is a highly effective factor when comparing citizens’ ethical consumption orientations. We also assume that the diffusion of ethical concern over consumption has blurred the differences between parties. To test these assumptions, we utilized data derived from comparable nationwide surveys collected in Finland in 1999 (N = 2,492), 2004 (N = 3,448), 2009 (N = 1,202), and 2014 (N = 1,351). All samples consist of respondents aged 18 to 74 years, thus providing an extensive look at the phenomenon. The analysis focuses on differences in ethical consumer orientation between adherents of different political parties as well as temporal changes in these associations. Our findings confirm the assumption that ethical consumer orientation is strongly associated with citizens’ political preference. However, on the basis of temporal analysis, we also found that party differences have narrowed as the differences between the Greens and other parties have declined during the survey period. Overall, the findings emphasize the importance of understanding how citizens’ political preference is embedded in way of life and point out new considerations that are fruitful for a clearer understanding of ethical consumption.