Do Consumers Forgive? A Study of Animosity in the MENA Region

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to extend the animosity model by examining the internal motivations of consumer animosity and their effects on willingness to buy. In particular, this research focuses on studying the model of consumer animosity in a new context. The Iraqi war that started in 2003 and the Israeli-Lebanese war in 2006 created tension in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region) toward the United States. It is within this context that we examined whether individuals’ animosity affects willingness to buy American products in two countries of that region (Lebanon and Tunisia). Specifically, are consumers’ internal motivations behind refusing to buy American products just to express anger, or to “punish” the United States and its companies, or to enhance self-image by rejecting American goods? To examine these issues, a structural equation model was developed and tested cross-nationally in both Tunisia (N = 164) and Lebanon (N = 300). Results suggest that consumers’ internal motivations to avoid purchasing American products are very different from each other. In particular, even though both countries seem similar culturally, results show that consumers in Tunisia and Lebanon have very different perceived motivations behind their animosity toward the United States, which in turn, differentially affect their willingness to buy American products.

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