Children are the most vulnerable segment of the market. They get easily influenced by the tactics used by the marketers. They should possess knowledge about their rights and duties as consumers, so that they do not fall into the trap of marketers. This study aims to examine the level of consumer affairs knowledge and consumer activism among adolescents. It also examines the influence of various socialization agents like parents, peers, mass media, school and demographic variables like age, gender and economic class of adolescents on consumer affairs knowledge and consumer activism. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 800 adolescents between the age of 10 and 17 years of different government and private schools in Punjab. Statistical techniques like t-test, correlation and regression analysis were used. The results suggest that male adolescents, older adolescents and adolescents belonging to upper economic class have more consumer affairs knowledge and perform consumer activism more frequently. As per regression analysis, mass media influences consumer affairs knowledge, while parents and TV have been found to be significant socialization agents for consumer activism.

Socialization has been described as “a process that begins at birth, by which an individual learns the expectations of society and how to get along with others, and acquires sensitivity to the pressures and obligations of group life” (Melanie and Locke, 2007). This approach has been used by researchers in the field of consumer behavior.

Children’s consumer behavior as an area of research has been studied since the 1950s (John, 1999). But the work in this area of research gained momentum with the publication of an article by Scott Ward in the year 1974 entitled, “Consumer Socialization”, describing it as the “process by which young people acquire skills, knowledge and attitudes relevant to their functioning as consumers in the marketplace” (Ward, 1974). Studying consumer socialization of children is about determining what makes children learn the role of a consumer. Consumer socialization of children has been a topic of immense importance for researchers (Moschis, 1985; Moore-Shay and Berchmans, 1996; and John, 1999), marketers and consumer educators (Moschis and Churchill, 1978).

Consumer Behavior, Store Choice, Consumer Awareness and Consumer Activism Among Adolescents: A Socialization Perspective