Engaging celebrity? Measuring the impact of issue-advocacy messages on situational involvement, complacency and apathy

Abstract

Using data from an experiment conducted in the fall of 2009, the study considers the effect of exposure to celebrity issue-advocacy appeals on situational involvement, complacency and apathy. The results suggest that receptivity toward celebrity involvement in issue politics has a negative impact on complacency but no effect on issue-specific apathy. In addition, situational involvement is negatively related to both complacency and issue apathy. Finally, the results suggest that exposure to celebrity issue advocacy messages can impact issue engagement, but this impact often depends on the prior perceived importance of the issue and favourability toward the celebrity advocate.

Keywords:

• apathy
• advocacy
• complacency
• involvement

Notes

1. After exposure to the varied experimental stimuli, and as a check on the effectiveness of the manipulations, subjects were asked to indicate their level of familiarity with the source (Jolie or Guterres) as well as their prior knowledge of the source's involvement with the global refugee crisis. Not surprisingly, subjects were more familiar with Jolie and her issue involvement on average, than they were with respect to Guterres. Given the focus on the differential impact of the celebrity advocacy messages, these measures were not included in the regression analyses that follow in an effort to promote a parsimonious set of models and given prior confirmation that the manipulations or varied stimuli were effective or appropriately received by subjects participating in the study.