Brand Bias (Domestic vs. Foreign)

What it measures

A five-item semantic differential scale measuring the degree to which a consumer evaluates domestic brands as superior to foreign brands across quality, design, technological advancement, value, and cultural resonance dimensions. Items compare domestic and foreign brands on a series of bipolar dimensions, capturing the overall bias toward locally produced brands as a product category attitude. The scale reflects consumer ethnocentrism at the brand evaluation level — the tendency to prefer home-country brands across objective quality and symbolic dimensions.

Response format

7-point semantic differential

Scale items

• poor in overall quality / excellent in overall quality
• poor in design and styling / excellent in design and styling
• low in their degree of technological advancement / high in their degree of technological advancement
• low in their level of quality and price ratio / high in their level of quality and price ratio
• less connected to the minds and hearts of local consumers / more connected to the minds and hearts of local consumers

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Single reliability estimate: α = .82 — Zhou, Yang & Hui (2010, n = 210 undergraduates at a major Chinese university). VALIDITY: Convergent and discriminant validity supported. NOTE: Scale was developed and validated in China — items assess domestic brands relative to foreign brands from a Chinese consumer perspective. The directionality of the bipolar items (low/poor on the left, high/excellent on the right) means higher scores indicate more positive evaluation of domestic brands. Adaptation of items from Steenkamp, Batra & Alden (2003) with one additional item added. Companion scales from the same study: Brand Familiarity (BRFM) and Brand Foreignness (BRFG).

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Zhou, Lianxi, Zhiyong Yang, and Michael K. Hui (2010). Non-local or local brands? A multi-level investigation into confidence in brand origin identification and its strategic implications. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 38(2), 202–218.

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