Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2012, 48(3): 509-536 | DOI: 10.13060/00380288.2012.48.3.06

What Motivates Czech Consumers to Buy Organic Food?

Jan Urban, Iva Zvěřinová, Milan Ščasný
Charles University Environment Center, Prague

The objective of this paper is twofold. First, the authors aim to analyse the factors that affect the intention of Czech consumers to purchase organic food using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Second, they employ an extended TPB model that introduces descriptive norms as an additional actor of behavioural intention. This study exploits data from a consumer survey of a sample of the Czech general adult population (N = 252) conducted in 2010. Structural equation modelling with an ML estimator is used to estimate model parameters. The empirical model derived from the TPB explains 44% of the variability of intention to purchase organic food. Descriptive norms are empirically distinct from injunctive norms and their inclusion in the model increases the explained variance of intention by an additional 5 percentage points. Attitudes and norms are the strongest predictors of the intention to purchase organic food, while perceived behavioural control has only a weak effect.

Keywords: theory of planned behaviour, organic food consumption, structural equation modelling, descriptive norms, Czech Republic

Published: June 1, 2012Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Urban, J., Zvěřinová, I., & Ščasný, M. (2012). What Motivates Czech Consumers to Buy Organic Food? Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review, 48(3), 509-536. doi: 10.13060/00380288.2012.48.3.06.
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Aertsens, J., W. Verbeke, K. Mondelaers and G. V. Huylenbroeck. 2009. 'Personal Determinants of Organic Food Consumption: A Review.' British Food Journal 111 (10): 1140-1167. Go to original source...
    2. Ajzen, I. 1985. 'From Intentions to Actions: A Theory of Planned Behavior.' Action Control: From Cognition to Behavior: 11-39. Go to original source...
    3. Ajzen, I. 1991. 'The Theory of Planned Behavior.' Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 50 (2): 179-211. Go to original source...
    4. Ajzen, I. 2002. Constructing a Theory of Planned Behavior Questionnaire. Unpublished manuscript. Retrieved 1 September 2011 (http://people.umass.edu/aizen/pdf/tpb.measurement.pdf).
    5. Ajzen, I. 2005. Attitudes, Personality and Behavior. 2nd ed. Buckingham: Open University Press.
    6. Ajzen, I. 2012. 'The Theory of Planned Behavior: A Bibliography.' Retrieved 3 July 2012 (http://people.umass.edu/aizen/tpbrefs.html).
    7. Anderson, J. and D. Gerbing. 1988. 'Structural Equation Modeling in Practice: A Review and Recommended Two-Step Approach.' Psychological Bulletin 103 (3): 411-423. Go to original source...
    8. Armitage, C. J. and M. Conner. 2001. 'Efficacy of the Theory of Planned Behaviour: A Meta-Analytic Review.' British Journal of Social Psychology 40: 471-499. Go to original source...
    9. Arvola, A., M. Vassallo, M. Dean, P. Lampila, A. Saba, L. Lähteenmäki and R. Shepherd. 2008. 'Predicting Intentions to Purchase Organic Food: The Role of Affective and Moral Attitudes in the Theory of Planned Behaviour.' Appetite 50 (2-3): 443-454. Go to original source...
    10. Baroni, L., L. Cenci, M. Tettamanti and M. Berati. 2007. 'Evaluating the Environmental Impact of Various Dietary Patterns Combined with Different Food Production Systems.' European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 61 (2): 279-286. Go to original source...
    11. Bentler, P. M. and C.-P. Chou. 1987. 'Practical Issues in Structural Modeling.' Sociological Methods & Research 16 (1): 78-117. Go to original source...
    12. Berg, C., I. Jonsson and M. Conner. 2000. 'Understanding Choice of Milk and Bread for Breakfast among Swedish Children Aged 11-15 Years: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour.' Appetite 34 (1): 5-19. Go to original source...
    13. Berkowitz, A. D. 2004. The Social Norms Approach: Theory, Research, and Annotated Bibliography. Unpublished manuscript. Retrieved 3 July 2012 (http://www.alanberkowitz.com/articles/social_norms.pdf).
    14. Boccaletti, S. 2008. 'Environmentally Responsible Food Choice.' Pp. 117-152 in Household Behaviour and the Environment: Reviewing the Evidence, edited by E. Ferrara and Y. Serret. Paris: OECD. Go to original source...
    15. Bollen, K. A. (ed.) 1989. Structural Equation Modeling: A Second Course. 1st ed. New York: Wiley-Interscience.
    16. BÖLW. 2010. Zahlen, Daten, Fakten: Die Bio-Branche 2010. Berlin: Bund Ökologische Lebensmittelwitschaft e. V. (BÖLW). Retrieved July 3 July 2012 (http://www.boelw.de/uploads/media/pdf/Dokumentation/Zahlen__Daten__Fakten/ZDF2010gesamt. pdf).
    17. Browne, M. W. 1984. 'Assymptotically Distribution Free Methods for the Analysis of Covariance Structures.' British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology 37: 62-83. Go to original source...
    18. Bulmer, M. G. 1979. Principles of Statistics. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications.
    19. Cialdini, R. B., C. A. Kallgren and R. R. Reno. 1991. 'A Focus Theory of Normative Conduct: A Theoretical Refinement and Reevaluation of the Role of Norms in Human Behavior.' Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 24: 201-234. Go to original source...
    20. Conner, M. and C. J. Armitage. 1998. 'Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior: A Review and Avenues for Further Research.' Journal of Applied Social Psychology 28 (15): 1429-1464. Go to original source...
    21. Conner, M., P. Norman and R. Bell. 2002. 'The Theory of Planned Behavior and Healthy Eating.' Health Psychology: Official Journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association 21 (2): 194-201. Go to original source...
    22. Cook, A. J., G. N. Kerr and K. Moore. 2002. 'Attitudes and Intentions towards Purchasing GM Food.' Journal of Economic Psychology 23 (5): 557-572. Go to original source...
    23. CZSO. 2011a. Preliminary Results of the 2011 Population and Housing Census. Prague: Český statistický úřad. Retrieved 3 July 2012 (http://www.czso.cz/sldb2011/eng/redakce.nsf/i/census_results).
    24. CZSO. 2011b. Statistical Yearbook of the Czech Republic 2011. Prague: Český statistický úřad. Retrieved 3 July 2012 (http://www.czso.cz/csu/2011edicniplan.nsf/engpubl/0001-11-2010).
    25. CZSO. 2011c. Household Income and Living Conditions 2010. Prague: Český statistický úřad. Retrieved 3 July 2012 (http://www.czso.cz/csu/2011edicniplan.nsf/engp/ 3012-11).
    26. Dean, M., M. M. Raats and R. Shepherd. 2008. 'Moral Concerns and Consumer Choice of Fresh and Processed Organic Foods.' Journal of Applied Social Psychology 38 (8): 2088-2107. Go to original source...
    27. Deutsch, M. and H. B. Gerard. 1955. 'A Study of Normative and Informational Social Influences upon Individual Judgment.' The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 51 (3): 629-636. Go to original source...
    28. Fishbein, M. and I. Ajzen. 1975. Belief, Attitude, Intention and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
    29. Fishbein, M. and I. Ajzen. 2009. Predicting and Changing Behavior: The Reasoned Action Approach. 1st ed. New York: Psychology Press.
    30. Francis, J. F., P. Eccles, M. Johnston, A. Walker, J. Grimshaw, R. Foy, E. F. S. Kaner, L. Smith and D. Bonetti. 2004. Constructing Questionnaires Based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour: A Manual for Health Service Researchers. Newcastle upon Tyne: University of Newcastle. Retrieved 3 July 2012 (http://pages.bangor.ac.uk/~pes004/exercise_psych/downloads/tpb_manual.pdf).
    31. Garver, M. S. and J. T. Mentzer. 1999. 'Logistics Research Methods: Employing Structural Equation Modeling to Test for Construct Validity.' Journal of Business Logistics 20 (1): 33-57.
    32. Goldstein, N. J., R. B. Cialdini and V. Griskevicius. 2008. 'A Room with a Viewpoint: Using Social Norms to Motivate Environmental Conservation in Hotels.' Journal of Consumer Research 35 (3): 472-482. Go to original source...
    33. Gracia, A. and T. de Magistris. 2007. 'Organic Food Product Purchase Behaviour: A Pilot Study for Urban Consumers in the South of Italy.' Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research 5 (4): 439-451. Go to original source...
    34. Hertwich, E., E. van der Voet, S. Suh, A. Tukker, A. Huijbregts, P. Kazmierczyk, P. Lenzen, J. McNeely and Y. Moriguchi. 2010. Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Consumption and Production: Priority Products and Materials. Nairobi: United Nations Environment Programme.
    35. Hoe, S. L. 2008. 'Issues and Procedures in Adopting Structural Equation Modeling Technique.' Journal of Applied Quantitative Methods 3 (1): 76-83.
    36. Hu, L.-T. and P. Bentler. 1998. 'Fit Indices in Covariance Structure Modeling: Sensitivity to Underparameterized Model Misspecification.' Psychological Methods 3 (4): 424-453. Go to original source...
    37. Jungbluth, N., O. Tietje and R. Scholz. 2000. 'Food Purchases: Impacts from the Consumers' Point of View Investigated with a Modular LCA.' The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 5 (3): 134-142. Go to original source...
    38. Kline, R. B. (ed.) 2004. Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling. 2nd ed. London: The Guilford Press.
    39. Kovanda, J. and T. Hák (eds). 2012. Progress Report of the Czech Republic's Strategic Framework for Sustainable Development. Prague: Ministerstvo životního prostředí.
    40. Mahon, D., C. Cowan and M. McCarthy. 2006. 'The Role of Attitudes, Subjective Norm, Perceived Control and Habit in the Consumption of Ready Meals and Takeaways in Great Britain.' Food Quality and Preference 17 (6): 474-481. Go to original source...
    41. McDonald, R. P. and M.-H. Ho. 2002. 'Principles and Practice in Reporting Structural Equation Analyses.' Psychological Methods 7 (1): 64-82. Go to original source...
    42. Melnyk, V., E. van Herpen and H. C. M. van Trijp. 2010. 'The Influence of Social Norms in Consumer Decision Making: A Meta-Analysis.' Advances in Consumer Research 37: 463-464. Retrieved 3 July 2012 (http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/display.asp?id=15187).
    43. Muthén, L. K. and B. O. Muthén. 2010. Mplus User's Guide. 6th ed. Los Angeles, CA: Muthén & Muthén. Retrieved 3 July 2012 (http://www.statmodel.com/download/usersguide/Mplus%20Users%20Guide%20v6.pdf).
    44. Nolan, J. M., P. W. Schultz, R. B. Cialdini, N. J. Goldstein and V. Griskevicius. 2008. 'Normative Social Influence Is Underdetected.' Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 34 (7): 913-923. Go to original source...
    45. Nordrehaug Astrøm, A. and J. Rise. 2001. 'Young Adult's Intention to Eat Healthy Food: Extending the Theory of Planned Behaviour.' Psychology & Health 16 (2): 223. Go to original source...
    46. OECD. 2011. Greening Household Behaviour. Paris: OECD Publishing.
    47. Ogilvy. 2008. BIO-výzkumná zpráva. Prague: Ogilvy.
    48. Povey, R., M. Conner, P. Sparks, R. James and R. Shepherd. 2000. 'The Theory of Planned Behaviour and Healthy Eating: Examining Additive and Moderating Effects of Social Influence Variables.' Psychology & Health 14 (6): 991-1006. Go to original source...
    49. Rettie, R., C. Barnham and K. Burchell. 2011. 'Social Normalisation and Consumer Behaviour: Using Marketing to Make Green Normal.' Kingston Business School Working Paper No. 8. Kingston upon Thames: Kingston Business School, Kingston University.
    50. Rettie, R., K. Burchell and D. Riley. 2012. 'Normalising Green Behaviours: A New Approach to Sustainability Marketing.' Journal of Marketing Management 29 (3-4): 420-444. Go to original source...
    51. Rigdon, E. E. 1998. 'Structural Equation Modeling.' Pp. 251-294 in Modern Methods for Business Research, edited by G. A. Marcoulides. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
    52. Rivis, A. and P. Sheeran. 2003. 'Descriptive Norms as an Additional Predictor in the Theory of Planned Behaviour: A Meta-Analysis.' Current Psychology 22 (3): 218-233. Go to original source...
    53. Rubin, D. 1974. 'Estimating Causal Effects of Treatments in Randomized and Non-randomized Studies.' Journal of Education Psychology 6 (5): 688-701. Go to original source...
    54. Saba, A. and F. Messina. 2003. 'Attitudes towards Organic Foods and Risk/Benefit Perception Associated with Pesticides.' Food Quality and Preference 14 (8): 637-645. Go to original source...
    55. Schreiber, J. B., A. Nora, F. K. Stage, E. A. Barlow and J. King. 2006. 'Reporting Structural Equation Modeling and Confirmatory Factor Analysis Results: A Review.' The Journal of Educational Research 99 (6): 323-338. Go to original source...
    56. Smith, J. R. and W. R. Louis. 2010. 'Do as We Say and as We Do: The Interplay of Descriptive and Injunctive Group Norms in the Attitude-Behaviour Relationship.' British Journal of Social Psychology 47 (4): 647-666. Go to original source...
    57. Sparks, P. and R. Shepherd. 1992. 'Self-Identity and the Theory of Planned Behavior: Assesing the Role of Identification with "Green Consumerism".' Social Psychology Quarterly 55 (4): 388-399. Go to original source...
    58. Staats, H. 2003. 'Understanding Proenvironmental Attitudes and Behavior: An Analysis and Review of Research Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior.' Pp. 171-201 in Psychological Theories for Environmental Issues, edited by M. Bonnes, T. Lee and M. Bonaiuto. Aldershot: Ashgate.
    59. Synergy Marketing & GfK. 2006. Potenciál BIO potravin na českém trhu: Marketingová studie (prezentace pro MZ ČR). (The Potential of Organic Food in the Czech Market: a Marketing Study (a Presentation for the Czech Ministry of Agriculture) Prague: Ministerstvo zemědělství ČR.
    60. Tanaka, J. S. 1987. '"How Big Is Big Enough?": Sample Size and Goodness of Fit in Structural Equation Models with Latent Variables.' Child Development 58 (1): 134-146. Go to original source...
    61. Tarkiainen, A. and S. Sundqvist. 2005. 'Subjective Norms, Attitudes and Intentions of Finnish Consumers in Buying Organic Food.' British Food Journal 107 (11): 808-822. Go to original source...
    62. Terry, D. J. and J. E. O'Leary. 1995. 'The Theory of Planned Behaviour: The Effects of Perceived Behavioural Control and Self-efficacy.' The British Journal of Social Psychology / the British Psychological Society 34 (Pt 2): 199-220. Go to original source...
    63. Thøgersen, J. 2006. 'Norms for Environmentally Responsible Behaviour: An Extended Taxonomy.' Journal of Environmental Psychology 26 (4): 247-261. Go to original source...
    64. Thøgersen, J. 2009. 'Consumer Decision-Making with Regard to Organic Food Products.' Pp. 173-192 in Traditional Food Production and Rural Sustainable Development: A European Challenge, edited by T. de Noronha Vaz, P. Nijkamp and J.-L. Rastoin. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing.
    65. Thøgersen, J. and F. Ölander. 2006. 'The Dynamic Interaction of Personal Norms and Environment-Friendly Buying Behavior: A Panel Study.' Journal of Applied Social Psychology 36 (7): 1758-1780. Go to original source...
    66. Tukker, A., G. Huppes, J. Guinée, R. Heijungs, A. de Koning, L. van Oers, S. Suh, T. Geerken, M. van Holderbeke, B. Jansen and P. Nielsen. 2006. Environmental Impacts of Products (EIPRO): Analysis of the Life Cycle Environmental Impacts Related to the Final Consumption of the EU-25. Technical Report Series. Brussels: European Commission, Directorate-General, Joint Research Center.
    67. Tuu, H. H., S. O. Olsen, D. T. Thao and N. T. K. Anh. 2008. 'The Role of Norms in Explaining Attitudes, Intention and Consumption of a Common Food (Fish) in Vietnam.' Appetite 51 (3): 546-551. Go to original source...
    68. Urban, J. and M. Ščasný. 2007. 'Willingness-to-Pay for Organic Food and Its Determinants.' Pp. 504-513 in Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference EA-SDI 2007, edited by E. Ritchelová and E. Sidorov. Ústí nad Labem: Jan Evangelista Purkyně University.
    69. Urban, J., M. Ščasný and I. Zvěřinová. 2008. 'How Much Are Prague Consumers Willing to Pay for Organic Food?' Pp. 86-104 in Environmental Economics and Policy: Young Scholars Perspective, edited by P. Šauer. Litomysl: Litomysl Seminar Publishing.
    70. Urban, J., I. Zvěřinová and A. Proková. 2010. 'Motivation towards Energy-Saving Behavior among Students: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior.' Pp. 191-200 in Towards a Green Economy: Young Researcher Perspective, edited by J. Hlaváček, P. Šauer and J. Šauerová. Litomysl: Litomysl Seminar Publishing.
    71. Václavík, T. 2009. Český trh s biopotravinami 2009. (The Czech Market in Organic Food) Moravské Knínice: Green marketing.
    72. Villasenor Alva, J. A. and E. G. Estrada. 2009. 'A Generalization of Shapiro-Wilk's Test for Multivariate Normality.' Communications in Statistics-Theory and Methods 38 (11): 1870-1883. Go to original source...
    73. West, S. G., J. F. Finch and P. J. Curran. 1995. 'Structural Equation Models with Nonnormal Variables.' Pp. 56-75 in Structural Equation Modeling: Concepts, Issues, and Applications, edited by R. H. Hoyle. London: Sage.
    74. Zvěřinová, I. 2011. 'Faktory vysvětlující spotřební chování: Výzkum spotřebitelů biopotravin na vzorku obyvatel hl. m. Prahy a okresu Znojmo.' (Factors Explaining Consumer Behaviour: A Study of Organic Food Consumers on a Sample Population from Prague and the Znojmo District) Dissertation, Charles University, Prague.
    75. Živělová, I. 2005. 'Current Situation of Demand for Organic Products in the Czech Republic.' Agricultural Economics-Czech 51 (7): 304-308.
    76. Živělová, I. 2006. 'Faktory ovlivňující poptávku po biopotravinách.' (Factors Influencing the Demand for Organic Food) Pp. 401-405 in Zborník príspevkov z medzinárodnej vedeckej konferencie Medzinárodné vedecké dni 2006. Conference proceedings. Nitra: Slovenská poľnohospodárska univerzita v Nitre.
    77. Živělová, I. and J. Jánský. 2006. 'The Possibilities of Organic Food Market's Development in the Czech Republic.' Agricultural Economics-Czech 52 (7): 321-327.
    78. Živělová, I. and J. Jánský. 'Faktory ovlivňující zájem spotřebitelů o biopotraviny.' Pp. 5-7 in Sborník příspěvků z mezinárodní vědecké konference Ekologické zemědělství. Retrieved 3 July 2012 (http://organicfarming.agrobiology.eu/organicfarming/proceedings_pdf/03_zivelova_s5-7.pdf.).
    79. Živělová, I. and J. Jánský. 2007b. 'The Conditions of Organic Market Development.' Agricultural Economics-Czech 53 (9): 403-410. Go to original source...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content