Red dog, blue dog: the influence of political identity on owner–pet relationships and owners’ purchases of pet-related products and services
通过调查不同政治身份的宠物主人，发现自由派更倾向于将宠物视为平等伙伴并购买医疗产品，保守派则更强调主人控制权并偏好购买奢侈宠物配件。
Purpose Pets reflect the identity and moral values of their owners. The purpose of this study is to examine how pet owners’ political identity (liberal–conservative) influences the relationship they forge with their pets as well as their purchase behaviors of pet-related products and services. Design/methodology/approach This study conducted two surveys of pet owners with different political identities and measured both their relationship with their pets and their purchase intentions of medical-related products and services as well as luxury accessories. Two secondary data sources were used to provide additional support. Findings This study shows that, on one hand, pet owners anthropomorphize their pets as if they were human equals. On the other hand, they consider themselves masters and emphasize control. The former aligns with the individualizing values endorsed by liberals, while the latter aligns with conservatives’ binding values. Reflecting their different values and owner-pet relationship characteristics, liberals and conservatives exhibit different purchase patterns. Liberals are more likely to buy medical-related products and services, while conservatives are more likely to buy branded luxury accessories for their pets. Research limitations/implications Both primary studies are survey-based and data are correlational in nature. In addition, the samples are limited to the USA. While research suggests that the liberal-conservative continuum is universal, additional research is needed to generalize the findings to other countries. Practical implications Understanding the owner-dog relationship in the context of political identity and the effect of these relationships on dog owners' purchases offer interesting managerial implications in terms of product offerings, retail assortment decisions of related products and pet product branding. Originality/value While dog ownership and related purchases are on the rise, research on owner-pet relationships is scant. This study provides theoretical contributions and implications by going beyond general relationship closeness and bringing in the role of owners’ (political) identity.