Consumers political preferences offer clues to how they shop, according to data from Infogroup, a provider of consumer marketing data and services.

Political moderates are the most likely to buy online, closely followed by liberals. And both groups shop frequently for womens apparel, home furnishings and childrens goods.Conservatives are the most likely to shop via catalogs. And they buy a lot of tools and auto repair products, books and music, and crafts items.

These conclusions are based on an analysis of 50,000 consumers from each of three categoriesindividuals who characterize themselves as conservative, liberal and moderateand then comparing those groups against all consumers in the Infogroup database. Infogroup says it has data on 300 million individuals in 184 million households compiled through its own research, client data and external sources.

Its especially important now, at a time of great polarization, that companies know who is responding to their messages, so they can align those messages with their goals.

Heather Winnicki, senior vice president of consumer transactional data

Infogroup

The analysis suggests there are other significant differences based on political affiliation. Liberals are the youngest and most likely to live in cities. Conservatives are the oldest, and more likely to live in suburbs and rural areas. Moderates have the highest income,are most likely to have a college degree and are the most likely to be married and have children in the home.

Why is it important to understand these connections between political leaning and lifestyle?

This kind of marketing intelligence influences the channels marketers decide to use to promote their products and serviceswhether it be particular radio outlets, Fox News vs. MSNBC, or particular print publications, says Heather Winnicki, Infogroup senior vice president of consumer transactional data. Its especially important now, at a time of great polarization, that companies know who is responding to their messages, so they can align those messages with their goals.

Winnicki notes that much of this data comes from direct-to-consumer retailers and brands, many of them selling non-essential items. That might skew the income and education numbers higher, as lower-income consumers might be less likely to buy products that are not necessities.

She also cant explain why moderates appear to be the most affluent and the biggest shoppers for discretionary items. We dont know the reason for the disproportionately high income were seeing among moderates, she says. Perhaps those who dont commit themselves to one side or the other are able to accumulate more wealth. We dont know. It may warrant an in-depth political study.

Here are some additional insights from the Infogroup report about the relationship between political preference and various shopping behaviors and demographic characteristics:

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Who shops the most online, liberals or conservatives? - DigitalCommerce360