Research Report Regulatory goals in a globalized world ☆ Sharon Ng a,b, ⁎ , Rajeev Batra c a Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore b Institute on Asian Consumer Insight, Singapore c Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA Accepted by Amna Kirmani, Editor; Associate Editor, Manoj Thomas Received 18 May 2015; received in revised form 19 August 2016; accepted 23 August 2016 Available online 29 August 2016 Abstract This research examines the impact of a salient global (or local) identity on individual's regulatory goals. Specifically, we show that when people's identity as a global citizen is salient, they are more likely to focus on promotion goals; whereas when their identity as a local citizen is salient, they are more likely to focus on prevention goals. We further show that this arises because people are likely to adopt a more abstract or higher level (vs. concrete or lower level) construal when their global (local) identity is salient. Evidence from three studies supports this central proposition. © 2016 Society for Consumer Psychology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Globalization; Self-identity; Regulatory goals; Construal level The recent “BREXIT” vote in the UK showed dramatically how individuals can vary in how they perceive the opportunities and perils from globalization. While prior research has document- ed how globalization is changing consumers' self-identities, we show here that it can also fundamentally alter the very ways in which they process information, construe events, and set goals. We show below that the twin forces of globalization and localization can lead to important shifts in mindset that can potentially alter preferences not only in the consumption domain but also in broader pro-social and political arenas. Prior research has documented how globalization is changing consumers' self-identities, (Arnett, 2002; Yang et al., 2011; Zhang & Khare, 2009). The development of one's self-identity is influenced by demographics (e.g., gender), upbringing (e.g., social class), contextual factors (e.g., football team membership), and societal changes. Globalization has been shown to lead to the development of a global identity (i.e., how strongly one associates with the global community) and the strengthening of one's local identity (i.e., one's association with the local community) (e.g., Arnett, 2002; Chiu, Gries, Torelli, & Cheng, 2011; Leung, Qiu, & Chiu, 2012). Though globalization and global identity are not synonymous, and the former does not always lead to the latter, more consumers now see themselves as members of a broader, global community (Steenkamp, Batra, & Alden, 2003). Research shows that the co-development of these two identities has important implications for consumers' cognitions and brand choices (e.g., Zhang & Khare, 2009). Specifically, we suggest here that a salient global (local) identity should make people construe phenomena more abstractly (concretely) and at a higher (lower) level, which in turn leads to stronger promotion (prevention) goals. Research shows that people possess two primary types of regulatory goals: promotion ☆ The authors are indebted to the participants of a seminar at the Chinese University of Hong Kong for valuable comments on the project, and Nanyang Technological University for financial support. ⁎ Corresponding author at: Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. E-mail addresses: angsl@ntu.edu.sg (S. Ng), rajeevba@umich.edu c (R. Batra). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2016.08.003 1057-7408/© 2016 Society for Consumer Psychology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Journal of Consumer Psychology 27, 2 (2017) 270 – 277