‘Political slacktivism:’ UA study shows disconnect between wearing political swag, actually voting

Political slogans and logos seem to be everywhere during an election cycle.

But the results of a recent study led by a professor from the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management show that those who rep their favorite candidates on a hat or t-shirt may more likely to skip the polls on Election Day.

Those results came as a surprise to both Republicans and Democrats in Tucson.

The research team conducted a lab experiment with college students during the 2020 election cycle, where they assessed the behavior of people given buttons compared to those who were told that a donation was made in their name.

Those who wore the buttons in public, she said, were less likely to complete any campaign-related tasks that were asked of them. 

The research team also assessed historical data from the 2016, 2018 and 2020 election cycles. The study only looked at merchandise sold by campaigns, excluding anything from independent retailers. 

“It’s an interesting blur between where consumerism ends and where political action begins,” said Anastasiya Ghosh, the associate marketing professor who headed the study.

The study, published in the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, indicated a phenomenon called “political slacktivism,” when someone displays a political preference, such as wearing a shirt or displaying a bumper sticker, but doesn’t follow through on any deeper engagement.

“It’s about signaling,” Ghosh said. “They already felt like they’d done more, so they’re less likely to do any follow-up.”

And it feels more impactful, she added, for those who were donning the campaign swag in an area where the opposing candidate was more popular.

Paul Eckerstrom, senior vice-chair of the Arizona Democratic Party and a Tucson resident, said he figured the opposite would have been true, given that the wearer had made an investment.

“That’s kind of surprising,” he said, “If someone’s purchases political paraphernalia, you’d think they’d be more likely to go out and vote.”

A representative from the Pima County Republican Party said in a voicemail they had also thought the opposite would be true. Further attempts to reach the GOP were unsuccessful.

Robert Scott, the manager of Trump Store Tombstone, said he completely disagreed with the study results, based on his conversations with clients. 

“Most of the customers, with the exception of international folks, are voters,” he said. “We have conversations about it all the time.”

Though the store had made large donations to President Donald Trump’s previous presidential campaigns, he said, the store never sourced their merchandise from the campaigns themselves. Instead, he said, items were purchased from out of state retailers.

According to Ghosh, how much consumers spent on the merchandise did correlate with whether they voted.

She said the average cost of a bumper sticker was $10, while T-shirts and hats cost around $20.

Conversely, she said, those who spent about $94 or more in campaign merchandise were more likely to volunteer and vote.

“When you donate a lot of money or buy a lot of merchandise, you’re more committed to the candidate,” she said.

Eckerstrom said he didn’t track how much Democratic candidates garnered through selling merchandise, as opposed to receiving straight donations, but was aware candidates bought items in bulk as a way to fundraise.

Ultimately, Ghosh said, it’s much more beneficial for campaigns to receive straight donations. That’s why her advise to candidates and campaign strategists is to push merchandise at the start of the campaign, and shift to seeking monetary donations and securing votes once it’s underway.

“Even if the person feels like they’ve done more because they bought a $20 t-shirt, they have to create the merchandise and ship it to you.” Ghosh said. “They actually get about $10.”