The effect of public commitment on resistance to persuasion: The influence of attitude certainty, issue importance, susceptibility to normative influence, preference for consistency and source proximity

This study investigates the effect of public commitment on resistance to persuasion and on the roles played by attitude certainty, issue importance, susceptibility to normative influence (SNI), preference for consistency (PFC), and the proximity of the source of counter-attitudinal information in influencing the relationship between public commitment and resistance to attitude change. Using two studies based on experimental design, we confirm the moderating roles of SNI and reference group proximity as well as the mediating roles of attitude certainty and issue importance. Marketing implications are also discussed.