EFFECT OF LIBYAN CONSUMER ANIMOSITY AND PRODUCT FAMILIARITY TOWARD TURKISH-ITALIAN PRODUCTS

Abstract: This study examines how Libyan consumers’ animosity toward countries of origin, together with their familiarity with products, shapes purchase intentions for Turkish and Italian products. Building on literature that distinguishes war-based, economic, and political animosity, we test whether product familiarity moderates the link between animosity and willingness to buy. A structured questionnaire adapted from established scales measured historical and economic animosity (Klein et al., 1998), product familiarity (Sabbe et al., 2008), and purchase intentions (Ghali, 2019). Data were collected over 18 days via a Google Form from consumers in Ajdabiya, Libya, yielding 126 valid responses. Reliability and validity assessments indicated strong internal consistency and acceptable convergent and discriminant validity. Non-normal distributions motivated nonparametric analyses and a planned PLS-SEM assessment in SmartPLS. Descriptive results reveal relatively low purchase intentions for Turkish products (M = 1.98 out of 5) and higher intentions for Italian products (M = 3.30), alongside differing levels of animosity and familiarity. Direct-effects estimation produced unstable values (N/A), likely due to severe multicollinearity and the small sample size, indicating the need to expand the sample and refine the model specification. Subgroup descriptives suggest that demographics, prior travel (55.6% visited Turkey, none visited Italy), and language proficiency may relate to familiarity pathways that in turn shape intentions. Overall, the evidence highlights the relevance of country-of-origin context and consumer familiarity in a North African setting. The study recommends enlarging the sample, explicitly separating historical from economic animosity in the structural model, and testing mediators such as country image and perceived utility. Findings offer actionable insights for international marketers targeting Libyan consumers and contribute to animosity–familiarity research by identifying conditions under which familiarity may buffer or amplify animosity’s effects on purchase intentions.