Political Shock 2018-2020

Some political events are so tumultuous that, similar to earthquakes, they alter the political landscape in their wake. Grounded in sociological and consumer theories of tribes, this research examines the downstream consequences of shocking political events on consumer behavior. Our theory proposes and our analysis confirms that political shocks affect tribal homophily, issue self-relevance, and work through fear and flight to impact political engagement and actual 2018 voting behaviors. Study 1 explores the classification of historical and recent events to determine if political shock perceptions exist. Using a multi-wave study, study 2 follows the events surrounding Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the US Supreme Court and the 2018 midterm elections to understand political shocks influence on political activism and voting behaviors. Finally, in study 3, tweets from different political affiliations during the time period of President Trump’s presidential campaign announcement to the 2018 midterm election are analyzed and support the proposed model. The findings suggest that in periods of chaos, consumers react to political shocks by joining the most relevant political tribe, are motivated to engage in political activism behavior and more likely to vote.