Impact of Acculturation and Internal and External Influences on Food Consumption Behaviour among Asian American Ethnic Groups
Downloads
Retail food sales in the United States surpassed $5 trillion annually in 2015 and this number is on the rise. As a growing industry, it is important to understand what factors influence consumption. In this paper, the authors report on data collected from an ethnic segment that is growing in terms of overall population and spending power in the U. S.; Asian Americans. Through analyses of internal and external influences, and measurement of acculturation across 1,284 respondents, the authors suggest that more acculturated individuals are more prone to be influenced by external factors (i.e., other foods and peers), whereas less acculturated individuals are more prone to be influenced by internal factors (i.e., home and family traditions). These findings indicate that acculturation has an impact on food consumption among those identifying as Asian American. Further theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.
10 Demographic Trends That Are Shaping the U.S. And the World. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/03/31/10-demographic-trends-that-are-shaping-the-u-s-and-the-world/
Adekunle, B., Filson, G. and Sethuratnam, S. (2013), Immigration and Chinese food preferences in the Greater Toronto Area. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 37: 658–665. doi: 10.1111/ijcs.12051.
Allen, J. T., Drane, D. D., Byon, K. K., & Mohn, R. S. (2010). Sport as a vehicle for socialization and maintenance of cultural identity: International students attending American universities. Sport Management Review, 13(4), 421-434.
Ayala, G. X., Mueller, K., Lopez-Madurga, E., Campbell, N. R., & Elder, J. P. (2005). Restaurant and food shopping selections among Latino women in Southern California. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 105(1), 38-45.
Barry, D. T. (2001). Development of a new scale for measuring acculturation: The East Asian Acculturation Measure (EAAM). Journal of Immigrant Health, 3(4), 193-197.
Berry, J. W., & Kalin, R. (1995). Multicultural and ethnic attitudes in Canada: An overview of the 1991 National Survey. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue Canadienne des Sciences du Comportement, 27(3), 301.
Berry, J. W. (1997). Immigration, acculturation, and adaptation. Applied Psychology, 46(1), 5-34.
Berry, J. (2008). Globalisation and acculturation. Journal of Business Research, 32(4), 328-336.
Chan, R. Y., & Lau, L. B. (2002). Explaining green purchasing behavior: A cross-cultural study on American and Chinese consumers. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 14(2-3), 9-40.
Cleveland, M., & Laroche, M. (2007). Acculturaton to the global consumer culture: Scale development and research paradigm. Journal of Business Research, 60(3), 249-259.
Cleveland, M., Laroche, M., Pons, F., & Kastoun, R. (2009). Acculturation and consumption: Textures of cultural adaptation. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 33(3), 196-212.
Consumer. (2016, May 19). Asian-Americans are Expanding Their Footprint in the U.S. and Making an Impact. Retrieved from
http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/ news/2016/asian-americans-are-expanding -their-footprint-and-making-animpact.html
Cruz, T. H., Marshall, S. W., Bowling, J. M., & Villaveces, A. (2008). The validity of a proxy acculturation scale among US Hispanics. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 30(4), 425-446.
Cuellar, I., Arnold, B., & Maldonado, R. (1995). Acculturation rating scale for Mexican Americans-II: A revision of the original ARSMA scale. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 17(3), 275-304.
Gacio Harrolle, M., & Trail, G. T. (2007). Ethnic identification, acculturation and sports identification of Latinos in the United States. International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, 8(3), 29-48.
Gawel, J. E. (1997). Herzberg's theory of motivation and Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 5(11), 1-3.
Geoscape Organization. (2014). Hispanic Acculturation Model. Miami, FL.
Gim, R. H., Atkinson, D. R., & Kim, S. J. (1991). Asian-American acculturation, counselor ethnicity and cultural sensitivity, and ratings of counselors. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 38(1), 57.
Gim Chung, R. H., Kim, B. S., & Abreu,
J. M. (2004). Asian American multidimensional acculturation scale: development, factor analysis, reliability, and validity. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 10(1), 66.
Glazer, N., & Moynihan, D. P. (1975). Ethnicity: Theory and experience (No. 109). Harvard University Press.
Hartwell, H.J., Edwards, J.S.A. & Brown, L. (2010). Acculturation and food habits: lessons to be learned. British Food Journal 113 (11). 1393-1405.
Henry, W. A. (1976). Cultural values do correlate with consumer behavior. Journal of Marketing Research, 121-127.
Hofstede, G. (1984). Culture's consequences: International differences in work-related values (Vol. 5). California: Sage.
Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1), 1-26.
Hofstede, G., & Minkov, M. (2010). Long-versus short-term orientation: new perspectives. Asia Pacific Business Review, 16(4), 493-504.
Kacen, J. J., & Lee, J. A. (2002). The influence of culture on consumer impulsive buying behavior. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 12(2), 163-176.
Kim, D., Pan, Y., & Park, H. S. (1998). High-versus low-context culture: A comparison of Chinese, Korean, and American cultures. Psychology and Marketing, 15(6), 507-521.
Kline, P. (2014). An easy guide to factor analysis. New York: Routledge.
Kwon, H., & Trail, G. (2001). Sport fan motivation: A comparison of American students and international students. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 10(3), 147-155.
Landrine, H., & Klonoff, E. A. (1994). The African American acculturation scale: Development, reliability, and validity. Journal of Black Psychology, 20(2), 104-127.
Latinos and the New Trump Administration. (2017). Retrieved from
Luna, D., & Forquer Gupta, S. (2001). An integrative framework for cross-cultural consumer behavior. International Marketing Review, 18(1), 45-69.
Marin, G., Sabogal, F., Marin, B. V., Otero-Sabogal, R., & Perez-Stable, E. J. (1987). Development of a short acculturation scale for Hispanics. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 9(2), 183-205.
McGehee, N. G., Yoon, Y., & Cardenas, D. (2003). Involvement and travel for recreational runners in North Carolina. Journal of Sport Management, 17(3), 305-324.
Nielsen. (2015). Family, Food and Culture are Asian American Staples. Retrieved from
Niemeier, H. M., Raynor, H. A., Lloyd-Richardson, E. E., Rogers, M. L., & Wing, R. R. (2006). Fast food consumption and breakfast skipping: predictors of weight gain from adolescence to adulthood in a nationally representative sample. Journal of Adolescent Health, 39(6), 842-849.
Ogden, D. T., Ogden, J. R., & Schau, H. J. (2004). Exploring the impact of culture and acculturation on consumer purchase decisions: Toward a microcultural perspective. Academy of Marketing Science Review, 1-22.
Ownbey, S. F., & Horridge, P. E. (1997). Acculturation levels and shopping orientations of Asian-American consumers. Psychology and Marketing, 14(1), 1-18.
Paeratakul, S., Ferdinand, D. P., Champagne, C. M., Ryan, D. H., & Bray, G. A. (2003). Fast food consumption among US adults and children: dietary and nutrient intake profile. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 103(10), 1332-1338.
Redfield, R., Linton, R., & Herskovits, M. J. (1936). Memorandum for the study of acculturation. American Anthropologist, 38(1), 149-152.
Richardson, R. M., & Smith, S. W. (2007). The influence of high/low-context culture and power distance on choice of communication media: Students’ media choice to communicate with professors in Japan and America. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 31(4), 479-501.
Rokeach, M. (1968). Beliefs, attitudes and values: A theory of organization and change, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Smith Castro, V. (2003). Acculturation and psychological adaptation. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Suinn, R. M., Rickard-Figueroa, K., Lew, S., & Vigil, P. (1987). The Suinn-Lew Asian self-identity acculturation scale: An initial report. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 47(2), 401-407.
Swaidan, Z., Vitell, S. J., & Rawwas, M. Y. (2003). Consumer ethics: Determinants of ethical beliefs of African Americans. Journal of Business Ethics, 46(2), 175-186.
The Rise of Asian Americans. (2012). Retrieved from
http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2012/06/19/the-rise-of-asian-americans/
Trail, G. T., & James, J. D. (2001). The motivation scale for sport consumption: Assessment of the scale's psychometric properties. Journal of Sport Behavior, 24(1), 108.
U.S. Food Retail Market. (2017). Retrieved from
https://www.statista.com/topics/1660/food-retail/
Yoshida, M., & James, J. D. (2010). Customer satisfaction with game and service experiences: Antecedents and consequences. Journal of Sport Management, 24(3), 338-361.
