The Structure and Properties of the Consumer Susceptibility to Interpersonal Influence Scale in Two Immigrant Populations in the U.S.

Abstract

The structure, psychometric properties and mean levels of the “Consumer Susceptibility to Interpersonal Influence” scale (Bearden, Netemeyer and Teel 1989) are assessed in samples chosen from two groups of immigrants that have each recently arrived in the U.S., namely Chinese Americans and Armenian Americans. First, the structure and properties of the susceptibility to interpersonal influence trait in each group is noted and compared with that reported in the original study (Bearden et al. 1989) for Anglo-American consumers. Second, similarities in susceptibility to interpersonal influence between the two immigrant groups of this study are noted and attributed to the fact that both of these groups are comprised of first generation immigrants. Finally, differences in susceptibility to interpersonal influence between the two immigrant groups of this study are noted and attributed to the fact that each of these groups are comprised of immigrants from two very different sets of countries/cultures-of-origin. Domestic and international marketing implications of these findings are pointed out for both theoreticians and practitioners.