The Impact of Cultural Identity Strength on Consumer Intention for Ethnic and Mainstream Brands: Evidence from a Multicultural Community in New Jersey

Xinyuan Pang

Co-Presenters: Individual Presentation

College: College of Business and Public Management

Major: BS.GLOBALBUSINESS

Faculty Research Mentor: Maria-Irene Angelidis

Abstract:

As society becomes more multicultural, consumers’ cultural identity becomes a vital factor influencing how they make decisions. Therefore, I posit that consumers’ preference for certain brands will reflect their cultural background and sense of identity. This study examines how the strength of cultural identity affects consumers’ perceptions of ethnic brands and mainstream U.S. brands in a multicultural community in New Jersey. The research builds and tests two hypotheses: (1) cultural identity positively influences ethnic brand purchase intention, and (2) cultural identity negatively influences mainstream brand purchase intention. The researcher will collect data through a survey using established , including the Multi-group Ethnic Identity Measure (Phinney, 1992) and Purchase Intention Scale (Dodds et al., 1991) , to examine the relationships between these variables. This research aims to provide a better understanding of how cultural identity shapes consumer behaviors in diverse environments and offer insights for U.S. businesses devoted to serving multicultural consumers.
Key Words: Cultural Identity; Consumer Intention; Ethnic and Mainstream Brands; Multicultural Community