The "Real-World" of Social-Ecological Consumers: (Un-)Critical Improvisers and Pioneers

The discourse on political consumerism frequently is based on taken for granted ideas about the green consumer. The ethical or conscious consumer is thougth to be educated, well-off and driven by high political consciousness. As a self-controlling figure, he is opposed to the vast majority of unreflected mass consumers. Based on qualitative and quantiative research, this paper instead suggests differentiating the socio-cultural milieus of political consumers more in detail. This approach is inspired by qualitative research (mostly interviews). Besides the often described critical or ethical consumer, more politically moderate cultures of consumer citizens have emerged. In addition, new creative, collaborative forms of political consumerism emerged such as online-sharing, prosuming or reusing goods that need to be added to the distinction between boykott and buykott. These qualitative findings were applied in a survey (N=1,350) in Germany. The resulting analysis reveals that beyond the stereotype of sustainable consumers, there are younger more often female persons who experiment with coproducing lifestyles without necessarily exiting the realm of other political practices.