Ethnic Identity as a Driver of Supportive Consumer Decisions: A Behavioral Perspective

Ethnic identity is a central psychological construct that shapes social perception, intergroup behavior, and everyday decision making, yet its influence on support for minority-owned businesses remains insufficiently understood. This research examines how variations in ethnic identification predict consumer preferences, evaluations, and loyalty, and whether these effects depend on product involvement. Two empirical studies were conducted among members of an ethnocultural minority group. Study 1 assessed preferences for minority versus majority-owned businesses across four purchase scenarios differing in involvement level. The findings show that ethnic identity predicts supportive choices primarily in low-involvement contexts: individuals with stronger ethnic identification were more likely to prefer minority-owned supermarkets, and indicators of cultural attachment predicted preference for minority-owned restaurants. No identity effects emerged in high involvement decisions, where utilitarian considerations dominated. Study 2 examined whether ethnic identity predicts store evaluations and loyalty toward a minority-owned retail chain. Across both involvement conditions, stronger ethnic identification was associated with more positive store evaluations, greater perceived value, higher fairness assessments, and stronger loyalty intentions, while product involvement and its interaction with identity were nonsignificant. Together, the results demonstrate that ethnic identification meaningfully shapes consumer support for minority enterprises and clarify the conditions under which identity-based processes guide marketplace behavior.