Determinants of regional consumer ethnocentrism among generation Z representatives
The aim of this article is to present the motivational factors of regional ethnocentrism. The conducted research examines the motivations behind regional ethnocentrism, including the support of the local environment, the perceived higher quality of regional products and the potential impact of regional products choices on sustainability. It identifies three consumer typologies: consumers who perceive high product quality and economic benefits but do not link regional choices to sustainability, highly engaged regional consumers with strong sustainability awareness, and quality-driven consumers with low ethnocentric tendencies. The results indicate that Generation Z's attitude towards regional ethnocentrism differs from an attitude towards traditional consumer ethnocentrism, as it is less driven by pro-intergroup motives and more by sustainability and moral considerations. The study highlights the need for further research on how economic conditions and individual factors influence on consumers' regional products purchasing behaviours.
References
Bibliografia/References
Axelrod, R., & Hammond, R. A. (2003). The evolution of ethnocentric behavior. Midwest Political Science Convention. Chicago.
Balabanis, G., & Diamantopoulos, A. (2004). Domestic country bias, country-of-origin effects, and consumer ethnocentrism: A multidimensional unfolding approach. Journal of the academy of marketing science, 32(1), 80–95. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092070303257644
Bizumic, B., & Duckitt, J. (2012). What is and is not ethnocentrism? A conceptual analysis and political implications. Political Psychology, 33(6), 887–909. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9221.2012.00907.x
Bougherara, D., Grolleau, G., & Mzoughi, N. (2009). Buy local, pollute less: What drives households to join a community supported farm? Ecological Economics, 68(5), 1488–1495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2008.10.009
Bryła, P. (2019). Regional ethnocentrism on the food market as a pattern of sustainable consumption. Sustainability, 11(22), 6408. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11226408
Charton-Vachet, F., Lombart, C., & Louis, D. (2020). Impact of attitude towards a region on purchase intention of regional products: The mediating effects of perceived value and preference. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 48(7), 707–725. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-09-2019-0315
Cleveland, M., & Laroche, M. (2007). Acculturation to the global consumer culture: Scale development and research paradigm. Journal of Business Research, 60(3), 249–259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2006.11.006
Cleveland, M., Laroche, M., & Papadopoulos, N. (2009). Cosmopolitanism, consumer ethnocentrism, and materialism: An eight-country study of antecedents and outcomes. Journal of International Marketing, 17(1), 116–146. https://doi.org/10.1509/jimk.17.1.116
De Canio, F. (2023). Consumer willingness to pay more for pro-environmental packages: The moderating role of familiarity. Journal of Environmental Management, 339, 117828. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117828
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2271-7
Del Castillo, E. J. S., Armas, R. J. D., & Tano, D. G. (2024). Ethnocentrism and place identity in the consumption of local products. Heliyon, 10(10). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e12345
Farah, M. F., & Mehdi, N. I. (2021). Consumer ethnocentrism and consumer animosity: A literature review. Strategic Change, 30(1), 19–28. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsc.2398
Halicka, E., Kaczorowska, J., Rejman, K., & Plichta, M. (2025). Investigating the consumer choices of Gen Z: A sustainable food system perspective. Nutrients, 17(3), 591. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17030591
Hammond, R. A., & Axelrod, R. (2006). The evolution of ethnocentrism. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 50(6), 926–936. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022002706293470
Hanchukova, O., Velikova, N., & Koo, B. (2024). Cheers to local! Exploring consumer ethnocentrism in the context of regional wines. British Food Journal, 126(9), 3584–3603. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-03-2024-0217
First Insight. (2020). The state of consumer spending: Gen Z shoppers demand sustainable retail. https://www.firstinsight.com/white-papers-posts/genz-shoppers-demand-sustainability
Iwata, O. (1997). Attitudinal and behavioral correlates of voluntary simplicity lifestyles. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 25(3), 233–240. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.1997.25.3.233
Kiełczewski, D. (2004). Globalizacja konsumpcji a rozwój regionalny. W: A. F. Bocian (red.), Rozwój regionalny a procesy globalizacji (102–113). Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu w Białymstoku.
Klein, G. J., Ettenson, R., & Krishnan, B. C. (2006). Extending the construct of consumer ethnocentrism: When foreign products are preferred. International Marketing Review, 23(3), 304–321. https://doi.org/10.1108/02651330610670460
Lamberti, G., Llonch Andreu, J., Lopez Belbeze, P., & Rialp Criado, J. (2025). Local brands. Impact of consumer responsibility for sustainable consumption and ethnocentrism as a moderating factor. Journal of International Consumer Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1080/08961530.2025.2487799
Lastovicka, J. L., Bettencourt, L. A., Hughner, R. S., & Kuntze, R. J. (1999). Lifestyle of the tight and frugal: Theory and measurement. Journal of Consumer Research, 26(1), 85–98. https://doi.org/10.1086/209552
Lopes, J. M., Pinho, M., & Gomes, S. (2024). From green hype to green habits: Understanding the factors that influence young consumers' green purchasing decisions. Business Strategy and the Environment, 33(3), 2432–2444. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3602
Perrea, T., Mamalis, S., Melfou, K., Papanagiotou, P., & Krystallis, A. (2015). Exploring the moderating role of consumer ethnocentrism on consumer value perceptions towards own-country Geographic Indication (GI) foods. https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.200229
Pestar Bizjak, S., Hristov, H., Košmerl, T., & Kuhar, A. (2018). Influence of consumer regiocentrism on perceived value of wine. British Food Journal, 120(1), 33–43. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-03-2017-0181
Samiee, S., Shimp, T. A., & Sharma, S. (2005). Brand origin recognition accuracy: Its antecedents and consumers' cognitive limitations. Journal of International Business Studies, 36, 379–397. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400145
Seidenfuss, K. U., Kathawala, Y., & Dinnie, K. (2013). Regional and country ethnocentrism: Broadening ASEAN origin perspectives. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 25(2), 298–320. https://doi.org/10.1108/13555851311314031
Sharma, P. (2015). Consumer ethnocentrism: Reconceptualization and cross-cultural validation. Journal of International Business Studies, 46, 381–389. https://doi.org/10.1057/jibs.2014.42
Shimp, T. A., & Sharma, S. (1987). Consumer ethnocentrism: Construction and validation of the CETSCALE. Journal of Marketing Research, 24(3), 280–289. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378702400305
Siamagka, N. T., & Balabanis, G. (2015). Revisiting consumer ethnocentrism: Review, reconceptualization, and empirical testing. Journal of International Marketing, 23(3), 66–86. https://doi.org/10.1509/jim.14.0085
Siemieniako, D. (2013). Społeczno-kulturowe czynniki lojalności konsumentów alkoholu. Marketing i Rynek, 20(12), 28–34.
Siemieniako, D., Kubacki, K., Glińska, E., & Krot, K. (2011). National and regional ethnocentrism: A case study of beer consumers in Poland. British Food Journal, 113(3), 404–418. https://doi.org/10.1108/00070701111116477
Smyczek, S., & Glowik, M. (2011). Ethnocentrism of Polish consumers as a result of the global economic crisis. Journal of Customer Behaviour, 10(2), 99–118. https://doi.org/10.1362/147539211X589504
Trentinaglia, M. T., Cavicchioli, D., Pocol, C. B., & Baldi, L. (2023). Where was my cup of honey made? PDO honey and sub-regional ethnocentric consumer segments. British Food Journal, 125(13), 296–315. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-07-2022-0640
Verlegh, P. W. (2007). Home country bias in product evaluation: The complementary roles of economic and socio-psychological motives. Journal of International Business Studies, 38, 361–373. 10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400269
Waehning, N., & Filieri, R. (2022). Consumer motives for buying regional products: The REGIOSCALE. Marketing Letters, 33(2), 215–236. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11002-021-09572-w