Consumer Disidentification and Its Effects on Domestic Product Purchases: An Empirical Investigation in the Netherlands

Consumers’ local bias is an important determinant of domestic product purchase behavior. Because of its importance, authors across various disciplines have investigated this phenomenon using the consumer ethnocentrism model. However, the research reported herein demonstrates that such an approach provides an incomplete picture at best. This research provides an initial test of the consumer disidentification (CDI) construct. In contrast with consumer ethnocentrism, the CDI model predicts that consumers’ repulsion toward their domestic country negatively affects the purchase of products made in their domestic country or by domestic firms. The model is tested using survey data from 1534 second-generation immigrants who were born in and live in the Netherlands. Structural equation modeling supports the model and shows that CDI has a significant impact on buying decisions beyond the effect of consumer ethnocentrism. The results further show that for second-generation Turkish immigrants, acculturation and ethnic identification are important predictors of both consumer ethnocentrism and CDI. The article discusses the implications of these findings for research and practice.