Do consumer ethnocentrism and animosity affect the importance of country-of-origin in dairy products evaluation? The moderating effect of purchase frequency

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of consumer ethnocentrism and animosity on the importance of country-of-origin in food product evaluation. It also tested the moderating effect of purchase frequency. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from dairy consumers residing in China. The research model was tested using structural equation modelling with AMOS. Findings: The results indicated that the importance of country-of-origin in product evaluation is not necessarily driven by consumer ethnocentrism or animosity. Only among frequent purchasers, a higher level of consumer ethnocentrism or animosity can be associated with more importance of country-of-origin in product evaluation. Originality/value: Despite the significant role of purchase frequency, this factor has been less considered in the existing literature on consumer ethnocentrism and animosity. This study represented an initial attempt to the role of purchase frequency in the effects of consumer ethnocentrism and animosity on food product evaluation. It revealed that purchase frequency should be adopted as a moderating factor in future studies in this field.