How Consumer Ethnocentrism and Animosity Impair the Economic Recovery of Emerging Markets

ABSTRACT

Many developed nations have reportedly turned to protectionism to speed up recovery from the recent global financial tsunami. Emerging economies that rely on exports and tourism have been particularly hard hit by these barriers. This study analyzes a conceptual framework that captures the effects of product image, country image, ethnocentrism, and animosity on consumers’ attitudes for imports and overseas travel. The results offer a fresh perspective, beyond that which has been explained by literature on product evaluation and country-of-origin. The findings imply that an export-dependent nation will need a linkage strategy to defend against protectionism. Strategic implications are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Consumer ethnocentrism
• animosity
• country image
• country-of-origin
• product image
• place marketing
• tourism marketing
• nation brand

Notes

∗All measurement items are measured by seven-point semantic differential scales. However, only the description of one anchor is shown here.

∗Measured on a seven-point scale with 1 = “I know a lot about (country/product)” and 7 = “I know very little about (country/product).”

∗∗Insignificant at p< .05.

∗Significant at p< .05 level.

∗∗Insignificant at p< .05 level.

∗Significant at p< .05 level.

∗∗Insignificant at p< .05 level.