What drives public support and political consumerism behaviors among water-based recreationists? The case of South Carolina

Water recreationists have a unique connection to water quality, given their direct interaction with aquatic environments during leisure pursuits. Growing concerns about water quality have prompted a body of research focused on understanding how environmental conditions and risk perceptions influence environmental attitudes and conservation behaviors. Yet, the question remains—do water-based recreationists act beyond activity-specific conservation behaviors? To address this gap, this study examines whether water-based recreationists in South Carolina support stricter water management policies and participate in political consumerism behaviors (boycotting and buycotting). We collected data through survey questionnaires and employed multiple and logistic regressions for data analysis. The results showed that risk perceptions are a key driver of all three conservation behaviors. Furthermore, age appeared to be positively related to their support for water management policies, while negatively associated with boycotting and buycotting behaviors. Our findings contribute to identifying the drivers of these underexplored conservation behaviors.