Demographic and Lifestyle Profiles of Ethnocentric and Non-Ethnocentric Urban Malaysian Consumers

Abstract

The globalization of markets presents considerable challenges and 
opportunities for domestic and international marketers. This has led
to a renewed interest in the effects of consumer ethnocentrism on
buying behaviour. The main objective of this paper is to investigate
the ethnocentric tendency among urban consumers in Malaysia.
Specifically, the paper endeavours to identify the psychographic and
demographic characteristics of ethnocentric and non-ethnocentric
consumers. This study employs a survey approach. In terms of data
collection technique, the study utilizes self-administered
questionnaires. The study finds that five out of six demographic
characteristics are significant to differentiate between the two
ethnocentric groups. In terms of lifestyle dimensions, six out of eight
dimensions are found to be significant. In general, the research results
show that ethnocentric consumers tend to be Malay, married, female,
have a low income and are mostly blue collar. They tend to be family
and home concerned as well as price conscious.
Keywords: Consumer Behaviour; Ethnocentrism; Demographic; Lifestyle Profiles
JEL classification: M31