Is the grass greener on the other side?

Abstract

Consumer xenocentrism, the belief that the foreign is preferred over the local, is a relatively new construct in the broader country of origin literature. We extend the study of consumer xenocen- trism to Paraguay (South America), an often bypassed and un- derstudied emerging market. Through a purposive survey of 397 middle- and upper-class Paraguayans in 2022, we uncover the existence of consumer xenocentrism and model its relationship to product judgment of regional powers (Argentina and Brazil) and economic superpowers (China and the United States). Our results indicate a positive and significant relationship between Paraguayan consumer xenocentrism and product judgments of Argentina, Brazil, and the United States, but not for China. Mana- gerial and public policy implications of our findings are discussed.