Consumer cosmopolitanism in Erasmus+

: the role of cosmopolitanism in the Erasmus enrolment decisions

Abstract

This master thesis examines the impact of the level and type of consumer cosmopolitanism on the decisions related to enrolling in the Erasmus programme. These decisions include: (a) the decision to enrol; (b) the motivations when enrolling; (c) the choice of destination; (d) seeking cultural differences when enrolling; (e) seeking different levels of globalization. Even though cosmopolitanism has been extensively studied in different areas, the possible connection between the concept and the Erasmus programme has barely been scientifically studied and proven. Cosmopolitans transcend their local boundaries by interacting, and actively seeking other cultures (Hannerz, 1990). Consumer cosmopolitanism is the applications of these characteristics to consumer behaviour. The level and type of consumer cosmopolitanism are measured using the C-Cosmo scale, which considers three dimensions: open-mindedness, diversity appreciation and consumption transcending borders (Riefler & Diamantopoulos, 2009). In order to research the impact, a study was performed by using multivariate analyses of variance and regressions to validate the conceptual model proposed. The research indicated that consumer cosmopolitanism decreases the likelihood for students to enrol on the programme. Additionally, three types of consumer cosmopolitanism were found: low, cultural and high. According to our test, low cosmopolitans should be the most likely to enrol, but they presented lower percentages of enrolment than the other two types. This evidence supports that intention is not always a good predictor of behaviour and that a gap exists between the two (Carrington et al., 2010, 2014). This study also suggests that cosmopolitan consumers do not look for a country with similar/different culture or level of globalization to that of their own country.

Date of Award	8 Jul 2021
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Susana Silva (Supervisor) & Miriam Taís Salomão (Co-Supervisor)