A cross-cultural comparison of consumer intention to purchase ethical fashion in producing and consuming countries

Abstract

We propose a cross-cultural study to empirically test the role that the country of the consumer plays in determining their perceptions, attitudes, and intentions towards ethical fashion. We base on the theory of planned behaviour, construal-level theory and literature on collectivism/individualism to hypothesize that significant differences may exist in the way that consumer intention to purchase ethical fashion is crafted based on whether the person lives in a fashion producing or consuming country. We use data collected from a survey of 245 and 450 consumers in China and Spain, respectively, and test 10 research hypotheses by applying multigroup structural equation modelling. Consumers in China perceive greater pressure to purchase ethical fashion and behavioural control than consumers in Spain. Nonetheless, the theory of planned behaviour model is only accepted fully for the Spanish sample. In China, perceived behavioural control does not have a major influence on the intention to purchase. Subjective norm is the most powerful determinant of intention to purchase, the strength of its effects be ING significantly higher in China. Managerial implications are derived that can assist fashion brands and retailers in better crafting their commercial and communicational strategies based on the specific intentions of consumers in diverse cultural contexts.