The Role of Gender Differences in the Impact of CSR Perceptions on Corporate Marketing Outcomes

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate gender differences in corporate social responsibility (CSR) perceptions regarding business sustainability. Another important objective of this study was to explore the moderating role of gender on the relationship between CSR perception and three corporate marketing outcomes (i.e., corporate brand equity, corporate distrust, and corporate hypocrisy). Using a sample of 867 consumers in South Korea, a t ‐test and hierarchical moderated regression analysis were employed to test four hypotheses. The results of this study showed that female consumers have a higher perception toward CSR than male consumers. The results also revealed that the positive relationship between CSR perception and corporate brand equity was stronger among men than women. In addition, the negative relationships between CSR perception and corporate distrust and between CSR perception and corporate hypocrisy were both stronger among men than women. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment