Article
The Intersection of Global Consumer Culture and National Identity and the Effect on Japanese Consumer Behavior
Journal of International Consumer Marketing
(2015)
Abstract
Acculturation research has mostly focused on the experiences of ethnic minorities, but nowadays global forces are shaping mainstream societies. How does exposure to global consumer culture (GCC) combine with a social identity drawing from nationality to impact consumer behavior? Using multidimensional measures for national ethnic identity and acculturation to GCC (AGCC), we investigate cultural relationships with an array of consumer attitudes and behaviors, focusing on Japan: an economically advanced country but with a non-Western and ethnically homogeneous people. AGCC positively (negatively) associated with materialism (consumer ethnocentrism); whereas Japanese ethnic identity positively associated with materialism. The behavioral impact of the cultural constructs was complex, varying substantially across 71 behaviors grouped into several product categories, whereby four broad acculturation patterns are discernable. Based on relative degrees of Japanese ethnic identity and AGCC, four consumer segments were revealed.
Keywords
- Globalization,
- National Ethnic Identity,
- Japan,
- Global Consumer Culture,
- Acculturation,
- Consumer Behavior,
- Structural Equation Modeling
Disciplines
Publication Date
Fall 2015
Citation Information
Mark Cleveland, Michel Laroche and Ikuo Takahashi. "The Intersection of Global Consumer Culture and National Identity and the Effect on Japanese Consumer Behavior" Journal of International Consumer Marketing Vol. 27 Iss. 5 (2015) p. 364 - 387 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/mark_cleveland/31/