How political identity and attitudinal spillover matter for consumption of place: Evidence from winter migrants in the United States

Abstract

AbstractUnderstanding winter migration is relevant for marketing managers and consumer researchers, yet research on this important phenomenon remains scarce. Extending literatures on attitude formation and attitudinal spillover, political identity, and consumption of place, the current research shows that more conservative winter migrants from the United States score higher on consumer animosity and lower on consumer affinity toward Mexico. Affinity toward Mexico, but not animosity, is associated with sense of place and psychological ownership toward a popular winter migration destination, the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) in the United States, through attitudinal spillover. Furthermore, psychological ownership toward the RGV is associated with managerially relevant outcome variables, including revisit intention, word‐of‐mouth, and relocation intention. Tests for alternative explanations (ethnocentrism and xenocentrism) and unobserved heterogeneity are conducted, and the results are discussed in light of the extant literature.