Consumer Ethnocentrism, Status and Consumption Behaviour : Evidence from a Communist Governed State in a Transitional Economy

Seeking status and national symbols during consumption is an established phenomenon for the consumers of developed nations. The role of these constructs in consumption behaviour for transitional economies needs more empirical evidence. This research is an attempt to assess the role that consumer ethnocentrism (CET) and status consumption (SC) play in consumption behaviour in the context of a transitional economy (India) while limiting to a state under more than two decades of continuous communist governance (Tripura). The study indicates that age and level of educational attainment are the significant demographic predictors for CET, whereas age, income level and generational cohorts are for SC. A negative association between CET and SC is also confirmed. In the case of the roles of SC and CET on consumption behaviour, a mixed association is obtained