Altruism and Consumer Purchase Behavior

An important issue in the purchase of a product in the global marketplace is the impact of that purchase on other individuals within that country. The purchase of a major and technologically complex product can have an effect on employment as well as other economic factors that impact the well-being of that country. This paper reports research that examines the relationship between altruism and consumer purchase behavior involving domestic and foreign products. Three dimensions of altruism are measured: consumer ethnocentrism, cognitive moral development, and prosocial behavior. Consumer purchase behavior is examined in the context of past automobile purchases based on method of acquisition, region-of-origin, and purchase price. The results indicate that consumer ethnocentrism varies based on region-of-origin and that prosocial behavior varies based on method of acquisition and region-of-origin. Implications for policy makers and for the managers of global products are also presented.