Korean consumers' perception of common Korean foods from different origins based on ethnocentrism

This study explores the ethnocentrism of Korean consumers regarding food products from different countries. It focused on five food items (butter, potatoes, bottled water, beef, and Kimchi) and 13 countries of origin (Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Kenya, Korea, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Spain, Thailand, and United States). Data was collected through an online survey from 630 Korean consumers, measuring their willingness to purchase, willingness to pay, and ethnocentric attitudes. Factor analysis was conducted using the ethnocentrism scale to identify the influencing factors, and hierarchical and K-means cluster analyses were used to group consumers into three categories: High ethnocentrism, Moderate ethnocentrism, and Low ethnocentrism. The results indicated that, irrespective of ethnocentrism levels, food products of Korean origin consistently achieved the highest scores in willingness to purchase and willingness to pay across all consumer clusters. Specifically, traditional food items such as Kimchi exhibited pronounced consumer preferences, whereas butter, regarded as a globalized product, showed no significant difference in willingness to purchase between Korean and US origins. Additionally, consumer perceptions of food products originating from China were found to be significantly low. Future research is needed to better understand how this impacts marketing strategies as the food market continues to evolve globally.