Us Versus Them, or Us Versus Everyone? Delineating Consumer Aversion to Foreign Goods

Abstract

This paper presents evidence that international animosity and consumer ethnocentrism are distinct constructs that play different roles depending on the set of products available to consumers. Results show that animosity toward a foreign nation is related to choices between foreign goods, while consumer ethnocentrism is related to choices between domestic and foreign goods. Further, the study finds animosity effects even though anger levels are generally low, thus extending the boundaries of the animosity model of foreign purchase. The study focuses on U.S. consumer views of Japan and Japanese products. Implications for decisions concerning global versus local branding strategies are discussed.