What does consumer sovereignty mean in a market economy?

• A. Producers determine production decisions independently of consumer demand
• B. Consumers influence what goods are produced through their choices
• C. The government sets prices and production targets
• D. Prices are set randomly without regard to demand

Answer: (B)

Consumer sovereignty is the idea that buyers control what gets produced in a market economy by choosing which products to buy. When people favor a good, demand rises and producers respond by making more of it; when demand for something falls, production shifts away. That signal—from consumers’ choices—guides what resources are allocated and what goods appear on shelves.

The statement that best fits this idea is the one that says consumers influence what goods are produced through their choices. It captures how market demand drives production decisions. Other descriptions describe situations where production ignores demand, or where the government sets prices, which reflects different economic systems or interventions, not consumer-driven production.