Mediating Influences of Attitude on Internal and External Factors Influencing Consumers’ Intention to Purchase Organic Foods in China

Factors affecting purchase intention of organic food products: Evidence from a developing nation context

The organic food industry has experienced rapid growth in recent decades. The industry is relatively new to developing countries compared to developed countries. Since Iran has the potential to produce organic products, it is essential to study factors that influence consumers' intention to buy them. The present study was designed and implemented for this purpose. In this cross-sectional study, 520 adults were selected using multistage sampling. Path analysis was employed to test a hypothesized model of predictors of consumer purchase intention for organic food. Attitude, environmental concern, and sensory characteristics directly impacted the intention to purchase organic food (p < .01). Knowledge, perceived price, and household size indirectly affected purchase intention through attitude (p < .01). Age indirectly affected purchase intention through health consciousness, environmental concern, perceived price, and sensory characteristics (p < .01). Subjective norms, health consciousness, and the perceived convenience of purchase had a positive and significant effect on purchase intention, directly and indirectly, through the mediating influence of attitude (p = .000). The educational level also affects purchase intention directly and indirectly through knowledge, health consciousness, environmental concern, and subjective norm (p = .000). The most potent total effects belonged to health consciousness, subjective norms, and education, respectively. Overall, the model could explain 47% of the intention variance and 45% of the variance in attitude. Various factors influence Iranian consumers' decision to buy organic food. This information can help professionals make well-informed decisions in policymaking, production, marketing, tourism, and retailing.

Factors affecting millennials' green purchase behavior: Evidence from Saudi Arabia

In light of the growing adoption of green products in emerging markets, there's a need to delve deeper into the green purchase behavior GPB of millennials in this context. Using the theory of planned behavior as a foundation, this study aims to improve clarity by developing and testing a theoretical model that establishes the effect of various factors on millennials' GPB. Motivated by this need and recognizing the importance of justifying the theoretical gap, a survey was conducted with 1094 students from the School of Business at King Faisal University, and data were analyzed using SmartPLS-3.3.2 The results reveal that green behavioral control, green environmental awareness, and green product value have positive and significant effects on GPB. In contrast, green product trust, green price sensitivity, and green perceived quality have no significant effect on GPB. The results highlight the significance of these factors in shaping millennials' GPB, providing valuable insights for researchers, marketers, and policymakers. In the future, a cross-sectional study should be conducted using an extensive approach to increase this study's generalizability. This study has theoretical, managerial, and policy implications for the promotion of green products.

Impact of green factors on undergraduate students' green behavioral intentions: A hybrid two-stage modeling approach

Consumers' unsustainable behavior contributes to environmental degradation and impedes sustainability. Using green products is one way to reduce this effect and promote environmental growth. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the green factors that impact young customers' behavioral intentions regarding green products. For this purpose, the researcher designed a research model based on the expanded theory of planned behavior (TPB). The study adopted a two-stage, hybrid model using partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and necessary condition analysis (NCA) to evaluate and validate the results. A sample of 382 undergraduate students was gathered using a convenience sampling approach. The results reveal that green TPB perception (GTP), green price sensitivity (GPS), green product trust (GPT), and green product value (GPV) are significantly and positively correlated with green behavioral intention (GBI). This study's main contribution is adding a brand-new higher-order construct, GTP, in the environmental and marketing literature and validating its effect on GBI. Again, environmental awareness moderates the association between GPS and GBI. Furthermore, the NCA's findings indicated that these variables are necessary to various degrees for students' GBI. Decision-makers may use the study's insights to create successful regulations to better understand young customers and develop appropriate green initiatives for sustainable development.

Modelling the mass adoption potentials of eBikes among Malaysian youth

This study examined (1) the effect of environmental concern, environmental knowledge, and health consciousness on attitude towards eBikes; (2) the effect of eBikes attributes of interest and infrastructure on perceived behavioural control; and finally, (3) the effect of attitude towards eBikes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control on eBikes commuting intention and its usage among Malaysian youth. This study adopted a cross-sectional design and convenience sampling, and collected quantitative data from 699 Malaysian youth through an online survey. Findings revealed that (1) environmental concern, environmental knowledge, and health consciousness had a positive and significant impact on attitude towards eBikes; (2) eBikes attributes of interest and infrastructure were positively and significantly related to perceived behavioural control; (3) attitude towards eBikes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control had a positive and significant effect on eBikes commuting intention; (4) eBikes commuting intention was positively and significantly related to the usage of eBikes; (5) eBikes commuting intention significantly mediated the relationship between attitude towards eBikes and perceived behavioural control on the usage of eBikes among Malaysian youth; and (6) eBikes commuting intention did not mediate the relationship between social norm and usage of eBikes. Although environmental knowledge and social norm are proven to have a positive and significant relationship, this analysis demonstrated a relatively low effect size. To promote environmental and sustainable development in cities through the mass adoption of eBikes among Malaysian youth, policymakers should highlight the benefits of using eBikes, introduce proper policies, and involve the development of improved and connected cycling paths in the city sustainable infrastructure plans.

The Role of Uncertainty and Negative Emotion in Chinese Parents' Self-Medication of Children with Antibiotics

Parents self-medicating their children with antibiotics (SMA) without consulting healthcare professionals is a common practice in China. Previous research has focused primarily on examining the socioeconomic factors that contribute to the prevalence of SMA. This study adopts and extends the theory of planned behavior to understand the cognitive and emotional factors that are associated with parental SMA in China. The responses to an online survey were collected from 961 parents of children aged 6-12 years old, primarily from Gansu, Shandong, and Shaanxi provinces. More than half of the participants (66.5%) engaged in parental SMA. Amoxicillin, Cephradine, and Azithromycin were the most frequently selected antibiotics used for children. Structural equation modeling showed that uncertainty was positively associated with negative emotions, which were in turn positively associated with attitude toward SMA. Uncertainty was also negatively associated with perceived behavioral control (PBC), but the association between PBC and SMA behavior was not significant. Attitude and subjective norm were both positively associated with SMA behavior. The relationship between subjective norm and attitude was also positive. Understanding the psychological factors driving parental SMA may inform tailored interventions to promote responsible antibiotic use among parents.

Habits, Health and Environment in the Purchase of Bakery Products: Consumption Preferences and Sustainable Inclinations before and during COVID-19

The aim of the research is to investigate whether purchasing decisions about bakery products (bread, snacks and biscuits) are influenced by concerns about health, climate change, biodiversity loss and food waste. The exploratory survey was carried out in two successive moments before and during the health emergency from COVID-19. Before the health emergency, face-to-face interviews were carried out using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed by factor analysis, reliability tests and descriptive analysis. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the research hypotheses. The results of the modeling analysis of the structural equations highlighted that health and the environment represent an important background in the consumer experience of the respondents and influence the attitude and intention to purchase safe and environmentally friendly bakery products. Furthermore, the results suggest that informed, modern and aware consumers have direct and indirect effects on the intentions to adopt sustainable attitudes. On the contrary, the perception relating to the shops where consumers buy bakery products does not always show a significant influence on the propensity for sustainability. During the health emergency, the interviews were conducted online. Families confined to their homes, buying less in stores, have prepared many baked goods manually at home. The descriptive analysis of this group of consumers shows a growing attention to points of sale and the tendency to use online shopping. Furthermore, the changes in the type of purchases and the importance attributed to the need to reduce food waste emerge.

Influence of Food Safety Concerns and Satisfaction with Government Regulation on Organic Food Consumption of Chinese Urban Residents

In order to study the impact of food safety concerns and government regulation on Chinese urban residents’ organic food consumption willingness and behavior, an “online + offline” survey of 799 urban residents in Beijing has been conducted. Based on the theory of planned behavior, a structural equation model (SEM) was established and the government’s food production support regulation (GP) and sales guarantee regulation (GC) were incorporated separately into the SEM as moderator variables. The path influence coefficients of respondents’ food safety concerns, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control on organic food consumption willingness were 0.065 (p < 0.05), 0.174 (p < 0.01) and 0.574 (p < 0.01), respectively. The influence of GP on organic food consumption willingness was 0.243 (p < 0.01), but its moderating effect on the promotion effect of food safety concerns and attitude to organic food consumption willingness was −0.001 (p < 0.01). The moderating effect of GC on the transformation from consumption willingness to behavior was 0.083 (p < 0.05). The results show that respondents attach the most importance to the comparison of costs and the benefits of organic food. Although the government’s food production regulation will weaken the driving effect of food safety concern and benefit perception of organic food consumption willingness, it will still promote organic food consumption willingness on the whole. The government’s supervision of food processing and sales is conducive to the occurrence of organic food consumption behavior.

Pull the Emotional Trigger or the Rational String? A Multi-Group Analysis of Organic Food Consumption

The organic food industry in China has been developing fast with the increasing consumer demand for healthier, safer, and more nutritious foods since the epidemic outbreak. It is of great significance to understand the psychological preference of consumers for organic food and adjust the marketing strategy accordingly. In this study, we adopted the multi-group structural equation model (SEM) to analyze 571 questionnaire data and explored the effects of consumers’ perception on the sensory appeal of organic food, perception on promotional stimulation, positive emotion, and perceived social value on the purchase intention of organic food. Based on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) model, this study divides the route affecting organic consumption behavior into the rational route and emotional route. It was proved that the emotional route (positive emotion) has a greater impact on the purchase intention of organic food than the rational route (perceived social value). In addition, there are different purchase intentions among different product types. Specifically, compared with organic tea, positive emotion has a greater effect on the purchase intention for organic rice. This study provides an important reference for the organic food-marketing strategy of enterprises.

Food: Not Only Safety, but Also Sustainability. The Emerging Trend of New Social Consumers

Consumers’ purchasing choices are no longer based only on economic factors but also on ethical reasons related to environmental sustainability and food safety. However, nutritional information on food labels is underused by consumers. Often the lack or incompleteness of information available on the market obstructs the complex transition towards sustainable consumption patterns. This empirical study analysed a sample of 359 consumers from an area in Southern Italy (city of Naples) to identify homogeneous consumer clusters with respect to the assessment of the level of consumer attention to sustainable environmental, social behaviours in daily life, and also to safety attributes. The most important sources of information influencing the consumers’ choices, food safety knowledge, and future purchasing behaviour were analysed. The research sample was self-selected, and the questionnaire for the survey was administrated through a non-probability sample from a reasoned choice. The results indicate that the ideal solution is a five-cluster partition that confirms a good level of attention to intrinsic attributes, in particular food expiry, transparency of food information, food traceability, and seller confidence. In addition, the research could provide an opportunity to consider collaborative actions between policy makers and industries to increase consumer awareness of environmental attributes.

Do Health, Environmental and Ethical Concerns Affect Purchasing Behavior? A Meta-Analysis and Narrative Review

Much attention has been given to how we can make consumption more responsible—better for the planet and society. However, research on the associations between consumer purchasing behavior and their psychological concern for health, the environment and ethics lacks consensus on the significance and directionality of these concerns. This study aims to examine how (relatively) important these concerns are in determining consumer purchasing behavior. Systematic searches were conducted in PubMed, EconLit, Web of Science and Scopus databases from 2000 to 2020. Results were summarized through narrative synthesis of the evidence and meta-analysis. The meta-analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between health, environmental and ethical concerns and purchasing behavior, indicating that changes in health, environmental and ethical concerns will result in a consistent shift in purchase behavior towards choices consistent with the concern. This association is susceptible to moderating factors including types of products (food, non-food and non-specific products) and country’s level of economic development. In addition, the health, environmental and ethical concerns appear to have a weaker impact on the actual purchase behavior than on purchase intention, suggesting that interventions should focus on translating these “purchasing intentions” into actual purchasing behaviors. Narrative review of the studies that were not subject to meta-analysis showed good agreement, with almost all relationships reported having the same direction as those indicated by the meta-analysis. Overall, this study suggests that there is substantial potential for marketing strategies aimed at encouraging pro-health, pro-environment and ethical purchasing behaviors.

Antecedents of Consumers’ Purchase Intention towards Organic Food: Integration of Theory of Planned Behavior and Protection Motivation Theory

Before consequences of climate change continue to intensify and increasingly affect the entire planet, immediate action must be taken. For instance, adopt the pro-environmental behaviors such as purchase of organic food to minimize the harmful human-caused impacts to the environment. This paper aims to determine the factors that influence the purchase intention of organic food in Malaysia by applying the theory of planned behavior and the protection motivation theory. A total of 300 questionnaires were collected and PLS-SEM was employed to test the structural relationships. Consequences of climate change and health threats were not the primary concerns among Malaysians when deciding whether to purchase organic food. Results show that perceived vulnerability, response efficacy, self-efficacy, subjective norm, and attitude affect purchase intention towards organic food. Consumers were more likely to have positive attitude towards organic food when they have adequate information on vulnerability of a threat and its consequences. The findings provide insights on the antecedents and outcomes of purchase intention towards organic food particularly in Malaysia. Although predictive power of perceived factors such as perceived rewards and perceived efficacy have been extensively researched in the past, there are limited studies that integrate both theories that simultaneously investigate antecedents of consumers’ purchase intention towards organic food.

Motivators and Barriers for Buying Intention of Upcycled Fashion Products in China

This study examines determinants of the consumption behavior of upcycled fashion products in China. Theoretical and empirical evidence from the upcycled fashion consumption and related literature are used to develop a model to explain consumers’ buying intention toward upcycled fashion products. Environmental consciousness, consumer knowledge of upcycled fashion fabrics, and perceived risks of upcycled fashion products are proposed as key factors (i.e., motivators and barriers) of behavioral intention toward the purchase upcycled fashion products. Hypothesized antecedents of buying intentions toward upcycled fashion are included in the theoretical model, which was tested using structural equation modeling analysis on data from a sample of 397 consumers in China. Environmental consciousness encompassed two factors and was therefore divided into environmental concerns and importance of environmentally conscious behavior. Perceived risks at the time of purchasing upcycled fashion products showed three factors: social, financial, and performance risk perceptions. After examining the impact of environmental consciousness and perceived risks on purchase intention toward upcycled fashion products, this study found that both factors had statistically significant effects on purchase intention. In addition, the study revealed that knowledge of upcycled fashion materials was mediated in the relationship to explain the impacts of Chinese consumers’ perceived importance of conscious behavior and perceived risks of upcycled fashion products on their intention to purchase upcycled fashion products. In other words, to increase the purchase intention toward upcycled fashion products, it is necessary to raise Chinese consumers’ environmental knowledge of upcycled fashion materials, while improving the importance of conscious behaviors and reducing the perceived risk. The implications of the findings for public policy and as guidelines for future research are outlined and discussed.

Influencing Factors of Chinese Consumers’ Purchase Intention to Sustainable Apparel Products: Exploring Consumer “Attitude–Behavioral Intention” Gap

As the rapid economic growth and over-consumption within the largest population worldwide has resulted in harmful environment deterioration, a shift to more sustainable consumption behaviors is required in China. Although public interests in sustainability have increased and consumers’ attitudes are positive, their behavioral intentions are not consistent with attitudes. This study aims to uncover psychological drivers and barriers (consumption values, social norms, and attitudes to sustainable apparel products) of Chinese consumers’ behavioral intentions toward sustainable apparel products (SAP) by exploring the attitude–behavioral intention gap. Online survey data were used to examine the moderating impacts of consumption values and social norms on relationship between Chinese consumers’ attitudes and behavioral intentions toward SAP. Results from moderating regression analysis suggest that (1) Chinese consumers’ SAP attitudes had a strong positive effect on the purchase intention toward SAP, (2) aesthetic values positively moderated the relationship between the SAP attitude and purchase intention, whereas conspicuous values negatively moderated the relationship, and (3) utility values and social norms did not show any significant moderating influences on the relationship between the SAP attitude and purchase intention. Our study validates the attitude–behavior gap model in sustainable consumer behavior and discusses how the current findings can assist researchers and practitioners in the Clothing and Textiles field alike to fine-tune sustainable programs and marketing strategies in China.

Residents’ Green Purchasing Intentions in a Developing-Country Context: Integrating PLS-SEM and MGA Methods

This paper aims to examine the determinants of green purchasing intentions among different resident groups in a developing-country context. We first expand the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and build a theoretical model based on green purchasing intention, including attitude, perceived behavioural control, subjective norms, environmental concern, habit, and socio-demographic characteristics (i.e., age, gender, residential area, and educational level). Following this, we collect 552 questionnaires from residents in Tianjin Municipality, China. We use partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to analyse the green purchasing intention of the population sample and then employ a multi-group analysis (MGA) to explore the group differences in residents’ green purchasing intention. The results show that green purchasing intention is significantly and positively influenced by attitude, perceived behavioural control, subjective norms, and environmental concern but not by habit. The relationship chain of environmental concern→subjective norms→purchasing intention is the strongest. The results of the MGA show that for residential-area groups, the relationships between attitudes, perceived behavioural control, and habits and purchasing intention differ significantly between the downtown group and the outside-the-city group. For the educational-level groups, the relationship between environmental concern and subjective norms differs significantly between the high-education group and the low-education group. Finally, these findings contribute to the literature on the TPB model on green purchasing intention and provide some suggestions for the local government and green marketers.

The roles of pollution concerns and environmental knowledge in making green food choices: Evidence from Chinese consumers

In the face of growing environmental concerns among Chinese consumers over food contamination, this study investigates the determinants of Chinese consumers' purchase intentions and willingness to pay for rice with environmental attributes (green rice). The analysis focused especially on latent consumer traits of environmental pollution concerns and subjective environmental knowledge. The data was collected through survey questionnaires administered in three Chinese cities: Guangzhou, Wuhan and Lanzhou (n = 622). A structural equation model was estimated to generate direct and indirect effect estimates of latent and observables factors that determine consumer purchase intentions and willingness to pay for green rice. This study finds significant effects of subjective environmental knowledge on purchase intentions as well as pollution concerns on willingness to pay for green rice. While food quality concerns mediate purchase intentions and willingness to pay; individuals' socio-demographic characteristics including age, education, health status and income influence consumer choice for green rice. A relevant policy finding is that respondents who regard the government as the main agent in protecting the environment were less likely to choose green rice. Overall, the results suggest that strengthening environmental education and targeted market segmentation are necessary conditions for successfully establishing food products with labelled environmental credentials in the Chinese market.

How Product Attributes and Consumer Characteristics Influence the WTP, Resulting in a Higher Price Premium for Organic Wine

Sustainable production systems have become a relevant issue for consumers in the wine industry. Several studies have revealed that consumers are increasingly interested in organic wine and have attempted to estimate the price premium that consumers would have to pay for this ‘new’ product. The aim of this paper is to assess the role of organic attributes in driving consumer choice, and how consumer socio-demographic characteristics influence the price premium for organic wine. An on-line survey was administrated among Italian wine consumers (N = 317) and an ordinal logistic regression model, based on cumulative probability distribution, was estimated. The results show important differences in the Willingness to Pay (WTP) between different market segments. Younger people have a more positive attitude towards wine with sustainable characteristics, and we found that consumers aged under 50 have a higher WTP. Price is another attribute that affects preferences for organic wine: consumers that state that price is a very important factor in the choice of a bottle are less willing to pay for organic wine. Consumers characterized by a low consumption frequency have a higher WTP for organic wine.