The Role of Country Image on Consumers' Willingness to Pay for Imported Beefsteak in China

In recent years, the world has experienced conflict. When political conflicts affect consumers' emotions and alter their perceptions of a country's image, it can influence their preferences. This study deconstructs the notion of a country image into multiple dimensions and examines their impact on consumers' willingness to pay for imported beef from Australia, Brazil, and the United States. Using a rank-ordered probit model and data from a survey of 935 respondents, results show that consumers' perceptions of a country's friendliness, economy, environment, and quality all have a positive and statistically significant effect on their willingness to pay for beefsteak imported from that country. Among these dimensions of the country image, the quality is the most important, followed by the economy, friendliness, and the environment. This study also finds heterogeneity in consumer perception of friendliness towards the United States, Australia, and Brazil. This study provides valuable insights for assessing the real losses resulting from a deteriorating international environment and suggests policies to enhance competitiveness in the food market.