How consumer animosity drives anti-consumption: A multi-country examination of social animosity

Authors: Tinka Krüger, Stefan Hoffmann, Ipek N. Nibat, Robert Mai, Olivier Trendel, Holger Görg, Wassili Lasarov (Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 2024, 81: 103990)

In times of uncertainty, the study of consumer animosity and how it affects anti-consumption behavior becomes more important for both academics and practitioners. This study focuses on the social nature of boycotts and contributes to the literature by analyzing the influence of normative components. The paper introduces and empirically validates the concept of social animosity as a moderator of animosity’s negative effect on product judgments and boycotts. The cross-country study uses data from six countries to measure animosity effects on two target countries: Russia and the U.S. Results confirm that consumers’ social animosity influences how animosity shapes their boycott intentions.

Keywords: Consumer animosity, Boycott, Anti-consumption, Social animosity, Ethnocentrism

DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.103990