Work

How consumers’ positive moral emotions can drive their active communication: In the context of corporate responsibility to race campaign

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study investigates factors that motivate consumers’ communicative actions, responding to corporate responsibility to race campaigns. As the controversial practice of addressing racial issues, corporate responsibility to race campaigns may evoke consumers’ moral emotions and problem solving actions for racial justice. This study employs the broaden-and-build theory and situational theory of problem solving to understand consumer responses to corporate racial justice messages, particularly for the minority group of Hispanics/Latinos. The conceptual model is tested through an online survey among 618 consumers of different race/ethnicity groups in the U.S. Results show that responding to corporate racial justice messages, consumers’ positive moral emotions influence their perceived involvement in, recognition of, and perceived barriers of the racial justice issue. Those issue-related perceptions, in turn, can increase consumers’ motivation and active communicative actions to promote racial justice.

Source: Public Relations Review

DOI: 10.1016/j.pubrev.2025.102646

Authors: Xiao Liang, Yeunjae Lee, Jo-Yun Li, Weiting Tao

Institutions: University of Miami, Colorado State University

Language: English

Topic: Public Relations and Crisis Communication

Subfield: Communication

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,310

Funder: University of Miami