Promoting Sustainable Consumption: A Study of Consumer Behavior towards Organic Food

Abstract

Rising environmental issues have brought about the concept of sustainable consumption, which has changed the trend of consumer behavior and food purchasing patterns. This enhanced the purchase intention and attitude towards environmentally sustainable products such as organic foods, which contributes altogether to the improvement of environment quality. Final responses from 321 young consumers were analyzed by applying confirmatory factor analysis to confirm consumer attitudes toward organic food for sustainability. According to multivariate data analysis using Structure equation modeling, health consciousness, environmental consciousness, food safety issues, and animal welfare all played a major role in the creation of a positive attitude toward organic food. The buying intent for organic food is strongly influenced by one's attitude toward organic food. Model fit indices illustrate the appropriateness of the model. Furthermore, the research found that attitude is a strong predictor of buying intention for organic foods. Consumers perceive organic food is expensive but provide value for money. Furthermore, directions for social-environmental organizations and policy-makers to draft policies for promoting sustainable consumption and building up positive attitude towards organic food have also been discussed. Finally, the drawbacks and future research directions of the study have also been addressed.