Final answer:
Sociologists would consider someone who listens to public radio but never contributes during pledge drives a free rider. Free riders take advantage of the benefits of a public good without sharing in its costs, a behavior which can undermine the provision of that good. NPR faces challenges with free riders, unlike subscription services like SiriusXM, which only serve paying subscribers.
Step-by-step explanation:
When someone listens to public radio but never contributes during pledge drives, they would be considered by sociologists as a free rider. A free rider is someone who enjoys the benefits of a public good without contributing to the cost of its provision.
In the context of National Public Radio (NPR), this is an issue because conventional radio broadcasts cannot directly charge listeners. NPR relies on pledge drives for funding, so when listeners choose not to contribute, they are effectively allowing others to bear the costs. This behavior can threaten the provision of the public good, as it relies on collective financial support. On the other hand, subscription-based services like SiriusXM avoid this issue by only providing their service to paying subscribers, making their product excludable.
Group participation and civic engagement also play a role in the discussion about free riders. Individuals might choose not to contribute to collective efforts despite the benefits they receive from such efforts, which can undermine the success of the group if everyone adopts this mindset. Free riders rely on others to pay for the public good while planning to use it themselves, a behavior that, if widespread, could lead to the public good not being provided at all.