title: Towards a three-component model of fan loyalty: a case study of Chinese youth.
abstract: The term "fan loyalty" refers to the loyalty felt and expressed by a fan towards the object of his/her fanaticism in both everyday and academic discourses. However, much of the literature on fan loyalty has paid little attention to the topic from the perspective of youth pop culture. The present study explored the meaning of fan loyalty in the context of China. Data were collected by the method of in-depth interviews with 16 young Chinese people aged between 19 and 25 years who currently or once were pop fans. The results indicated that fan loyalty entails three components: involvement, satisfaction, and affiliation. These three components regulate the process of fan loyalty development, which can be divided into four stages: inception, upgrade, zenith, and decline. This model provides a conceptual explanation of why and how young Chinese fans are loyal to their favorite stars. The implications of the findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Lab of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiao-xiao
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Lab of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Lab of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China; Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America.
authors.forename: Xian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Lab of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Lab of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Lab of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ji-qi
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D001290:Attitude; D002681:China; D003469:Culture; D004644:Emotions; D005197:Famous Persons; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008399:Mass Behavior; D008402:Mass Media; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009146:Music; D000067074:Peer Influence; D036301:Qualitative Research; D055815:Young Adult / Q000523:psychology*