The CATMG is a cross-nationally validated measure of consumer attitudes toward the globalisation of consumer markets — the increasing integration of national markets, the spread of global brands, and the influx of foreign products, companies, and cultural influences. Alden, Steenkamp, and Batra (2006) developed the CATMG to fill a conceptual gap between ethnocentrism measures (which focus on attitudes toward foreign products relative to domestic products) and consumer culture positioning research (which examines brand strategy), by creating a direct measure of attitudes toward the phenomenon of marketplace globalisation itself. The three dimensions reflect distinct attitudinal reactions to globalisation. Global Openness captures the degree to which consumers view marketplace globalisation positively — as expanding choice, improving quality, and connecting consumers to global culture. Cultural Threat Perception captures the degree to which consumers believe globalisation threatens local cultural identity, values, traditions, and ways of life. Economic Threat Perception captures the degree to which consumers believe globalisation threatens local employment, domestic industries, and national economic sovereignty. The three dimensions are empirically separable: Global Openness is positively predicted by cosmopolitanism, global consumer identity, and openness to foreign cultures; Cultural and Economic Threat perceptions are positively predicted by nationalism, consumer ethnocentrism, and local identity centrality. Validated across the United States, South Korea, and India in the original study, with subsequent cross-cultural applications in Europe, China, and Latin America.
7-point Likert (1=strongly disagree to 7=strongly agree); three subscales scored separately; subscales averaged
Global Openness — GO (5 items): positive attitude toward marketplace globalisation as expanding consumer choice, quality, and global cultural connection. 7-point Likert (1=strongly disagree to 7=strongly agree). Items averaged.
Cultural Threat Perception — CT (5 items): belief that marketplace globalisation undermines local cultural identity, values, and traditions. 7-point Likert. Items averaged.
Economic Threat Perception — ET (5 items): belief that marketplace globalisation harms the domestic economy, jobs, and national industrial capacity. 7-point Likert. Items averaged.
Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.
The three CATMG dimensions should be reported and tested separately — they have distinct antecedents and consequences. Global Openness predicts preference for global brands and positive evaluation of foreign products; Cultural and Economic Threat perceptions predict consumer ethnocentrism, preference for locally made products, and resistance to global brand entry. The CATMG is distinct from consumer ethnocentrism (CETSCALE) which measures preference for domestic over foreign products on patriotic grounds — CATMG measures attitudes toward the globalisation phenomenon itself. In cross-cultural research, validate configural, metric, and scalar invariance before making cross-national attitude comparisons. Cultural Threat items may require sensitivity review in contexts with specific histories of cultural colonisation.
Alden, D.L., Steenkamp, J.B.E.M., & Batra, R. (2006). Consumer attitudes toward marketplace globalization: Structure, antecedents, and consequences. Journal of International Business Studies, 37(6), 803–825.
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