The changing nature of consumer animosity and cosmopolitanism among young, individualistic consumers in emerging Asia: evidence from China

Abstract

PurposeThis study is designed to address how rising individualism in emerging Asia changes consumer values and subsequent consumer behavior toward foreign brands. For this, we investigate consumer animosity (CA) and consumer cosmopolitanism (COS) in China and their impacts on consumer dispositions toward Japanese brands.Design/methodology/approachThe study hypothesizes that CA and COS mediate the effects of consumer individualism and age on brand attitudes and purchase intentions. Online surveys were conducted with 421 consumers in China.FindingsThe results indicate that consumers with individualistic values show favorable dispositions toward Japanese brands because of weak CA and strong COS values. In addition, the study found that younger consumers also harbor weak CA and do not avoid Japanese brands because of it. However, younger consumers were not found to be more cosmopolitan than their older counterparts.Originality/valueOur findings suggest that the modernization and individualization of a society can have impacts on consumer values in emerging Asia and that changes in consumer values among young and individualistic consumers can lead to increased preferences for foreign brands, especially brands from a country with historical animosity.