Role of Bias in Service Provider Selection

This study examined the main effects and interaction that country of origin, educational prestige, and years of experience of a physician have on a patient's perceived comfort, trust, and likelihood of choosing that physician. Participants consisted of 38 male and 65 female adult U.S. citizens. The first hypothesis stated that consumers' animosity toward a foreign country would negatively influence their trust, comfort, and purchase intent toward immigrant service providers from that foreign country. The second hypothesis stated that an immigrant service provider's education will positively influence consumers' trust, comfort, and purchase intent. The last hypothesis stated that an immigrant service provider's experience would positively influence consumers' trust, comfort, and purchase intent. The study was conducted using a Univariate ANOVA on a 2 x 2 x 2 between subjects design. Results indicated a main effect of education, experience, and country of origin on the likelihood of choosing a physician. An interaction between country of origin and experience on trust competency of a physician was also found.