Consumer Activism, Prosocial Behavior, and Consumer Wellbeing

This chapter examines the relationship between consumer civic engagement—activism and prosocial consumer behavior—and psychological wellbeing. The chapter reviews the evidence on how behaviors such as charitable giving, green consumption, veganism and vegetarianism, ethical purchasing, anti-consumption, consumer advocacy, or consumer boycott behavior relate to consumer wellbeing. The chapter also examines the underlying motivations of such behaviors (e.g., the need for meaning and purpose in life, the need for significance, and the need for attention) and how these motivations moderate the relationship between the behaviors and their wellbeing outcomes. The chapter concludes by providing policy recommendations and future research directions.