CSR, knowledge, and customer loyalty: a cross-country comparison from the banking industry

In two contrasting banking markets, we examine how customer-perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR) influences loyalty. Surveys of retail bank customers in the U.S. and Poland ( n = 600 each, conducted from October to December 2022) are analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The analysis incorporates bootstrapped mediation tests via customer satisfaction and corporate image, multigroup analysis following the measurement invariance of composites procedure, and an importance-performance map analysis (IPMA). CSR shows a significant positive association with loyalty, both directly and indirectly through satisfaction and image, respectively, indicating partial mediation in both countries. Multigroup tests detect no statistically significant differences in path strengths across countries. IPMA identified CSR as the most influential driver of loyalty in the U.S. and CSR alongside customer satisfaction in Poland. At the indicator level, communication and complaint handling, along with service quality, perform strongly in both countries, whereas environmental CSR is the lowest-performing. These findings suggest that banks should make CSR more visible throughout the service journey, maintain strengths in customer-facing fundamentals, and address the environmental execution gap. This study clarifies how CSR translates into loyalty and converts insights into actionable managerial priorities.