TY  - JOUR
AU  - Panis, Koen
AU  - Van den Bulck, Hilde
JF  - Javnost-The Public
TI  - Celebrities’ Quest for a Better World: Understanding Flemish Public Perceptions of Celebrities’ Societal Engagement
VL  - 19
IS  - 3
PY  - 2012
SN  - 1854-8377
PB  - EURICOM
UR  - https://javnost-thepublic.org/article/2012/3/5/
N2  - Although one of the main aims of celebrities’ societal
engagement is to grab the attention of a wide audience
for a social cause, research about public perceptions of the
phenomenon is scarce. This study wants to gain a theoretical
and empirical insight into the possible influence of
celebrities’ engagements on the general population. An
internet survey among a sample of one thousand Flemish
adults was conducted to ascertain which celebrities are
considered to support social causes and how the general
population perceives this phenomenon. Results show a select
group of celebrity supporters, i.e. those in a deeply engaged
role or with a considerable track record of engagement,
to be the most popular. While most respondents
consider such celebrity engagements to make a significant
contribution to social-profit organisations’ goals, scepticism
about the celebrities’ motives is apparent. Young adults
and celebrity news followers, traditionally less involved
in social causes, demonstrate a more positive attitude
towards celebrity engagement than older respondents. As
such, celebrities’ societal engagement might be advantageous
in reaching thus far uninterested parts of society.
U1  - Print ISSN: 1318-3222
ER  -