Applying dual-process theory to the explanation of cultural consumption : the role of preferences and attitudes in film consumption

Abstract

To date, sociological research on cultural consumption has largely neglected to give attention to the theory of action underlying it. However, this is exactly what is required in order to explain the relationship between social position indicators, cultural taste, and cultural consumption in theoretically sound way. Broadly speaking, there are two major perspectives that come into consideration here. The first conceives cultural consumption as the result of a deliberate (rational) decision making process based on the weighing of aesthetic preferences and situational opportunities. The second perspective points to the importance of deeply internalized aesthetic attitudes and dispositions guiding cultural consumption in a rather automatic way, given relevant situational cues. Since either of these perspectives gains plausibility, it seems reasonable to conceptualize cultural consumption as a joint process of deliberate preference weighing and automatic attitude following. This is accomplished by applying dual-process theory which offers a more accurate account of the individual foundations of cultural consumption. Drawing on recent survey data from Switzerland (conducted in February 2013), the assumption of preferences and attitudes constituting two distinct elements of cultural taste is tested for the domain of film consumption. The main result is that preferences predict film consumption only if attitudes are not strongly internalized. This is in line with the interactive interplay of preferences and attitudes assumed by dual process theory.