Americans’ Choice of Domestic over Foreign Products: A Matter of Helping Behavior?

Increasing sales of imported products in the United States have cost the jobs of many American workers, leading labor unions and other industry groups to promote a “Buy American” theme to American consumers. As a means of explaining consumers’ purchase of domestic products, this study developed and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of business research 1998-09, Vol.43 (1), p.39-54
Main Authors: Granzin, Kent L., Olsen, Janeen E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Consumer behavior
Hypotheses
Patriotism
Product choice
Statistical analysis
Studies
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Increasing sales of imported products in the United States have cost the jobs of many American workers, leading labor unions and other industry groups to promote a “Buy American” theme to American consumers. As a means of explaining consumers’ purchase of domestic products, this study developed and tested a model comprising constructs from the literature related to helping behavior. Findings based on survey data and structural equation analysis showed that purchase of domestic products is negatively related to consumers’ perceived costs of helping, and positively related to internalized responsibility for helping, a feeling of sharing a common fate with the workers, a perception of similarity with the workers, a social concern for members of the society, an ethnocentric orientation, and patriotism. These findings hold implications for both promoting the “Buy American” theme and for future research into the subject.
ISSN:0148-2963
1873-7978
DOI:10.1016/S0148-2963(97)00101-X