Attitudes and reactions of Galician (Spanish) consumers towards the purchase of products from other regions

Abstract

Although research on consumer ethnocentrism is plentiful, there has been limited interest in carrying out such research in a regional setting. However, within the borders of many countries lie strong regional identities which may indeed influence the attitudes and behaviours of consumers towards products from both inside and outside their region. This study analyses the attitudes of Galician consumers towards the purchase of products from other regions and assesses their regional or non–regional preferences for different types of products. The study also performs a cluster analysis in order to obtain different consumer profiles based on degree of regional ethnocentrism. In general, it appears that Galician consumers positively view products from their own region and make a conscious effort not to buy products from other regions. However, they do not feel guilty when they purchase non–regional products. They have a strong preference for three Galician products in particular: potatoes, beef and milk.