Factors Influencing Public Intention Towards Purchasing Green Food in Malaysia
10 Pages Posted: 1 May 2012
Date Written: April 30, 2012
Abstract
Food is the most basic need for all human being. However, shifts in the demographic and economic structures have influenced the food consumption pattern directly or indirectly. Changes in the consumers’ lifestyle, taste and preferences, food safety awareness, environmental protection, health and animal welfare have a great impact on the demand for healthy and nutritious foods. Green foods are used to name as a healthy, environmental friendly, concern on food safety and animal welfare products. However, the concept of green foods is still very new in Malaysia and there is only a little knowledge about what factors influence the public intention to purchase green foods. These paper aims to assess consumers’ perception and the factors that can influence their perception towards green foods consumption in Malaysia. 1355 respondents were interviewed. Descriptive statistic and factor analysis were used to analyze the information on public intention to purchase green foods. Factor analysis was used to determine the factors which can influence the consumers’ purchasing behaviour and binary logistic model was used to determine the extent to which selected socio-economic/demographic characteristics and the extracted factors form factor analysis influence the public intention to purchase green foods. The results indicated that socio-demographic variables play an important role in explaining consumers’ green purchasing behaviour. The major factors determining Malaysian consumers’ green purchasing behaviour are consumers’ referent, knowledge towards green foods, purpose to purchase green foods, motivation to consume green foods, green concept understanding and product price.
Keywords: Binary logistic regression, factor analysis, green foods, intention, Malaysia
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