The Relationship between Misinformation Belief and Political Consumerism: Evidence from Hong Kong

Existing literature on misinformation and political participation has focused on participation behaviors such as voting and protests, while overlooking the effects of misinformation on "lifestyle politics" participation. This study addresses this research gap by examining the relationship between misinformation belief and political consumerism in Hong Kong. Using data from a survey against the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill movement background, this study found that misinformation belief played an important role in boosting pro-movement consumption. However, it alone did not promote anti-movement consumption. Results also revealed significant interaction effects between misinformation belief and both democracy satisfaction and government trust. These findings may offer potential pathways for mitigating radical political consumerism.