Are country-of-origin stereotypes weaker among younger Chinese generations?

Abstract

With extensive globalization, the effect of country-of-origin (COO) stereotypes has been continuously questioned by many scholars; a key dispute is whether younger generations still hold COO stereotypes. Some scholars have proved downward trends in developed countries, but there is little evidence in developing countries, such as China. This research employs three studies to investigate through both implicit and explicit measurement whether Chinese born in the 1980s and those born in the 1990s differ in their attitudes toward domestic and imported products in terms of function and image. The results show that the Chinese of the 1980s generation still hold strong COO stereotypes that imported products are better than domestic products for either a general product level or a specific product category. The 1990s generation does not follow suit. This result is explained by the life course theory, which highlights that family communication patterns can influence people’s COO stereotypes. It is highly recommended that marketers consider the different attitudes of China’s 1980s generation and 1990s generation toward imported and domestic products to better communicate the imported or Chinese imprint of the products.