Examining the Purchase Intention of Generation Z towards Organic Food: An Empirical Study in Vietnam

Abstract

As Vietnam is a densely populated country with stable economic growth and rising concern for environmental problems in these recent years, demand for organic food is increasing. This study explores the purchase intention of Vietnamese generation Z (Gen Z) towards organic food. We extended the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) with three specific pro-environmental factors that are health consciousness, environmental concern, and knowledge of organic food to investigate the purchase intention of Gen Z. A self-administered online survey was conducted in the three largest cities including Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City. After three months, 426 valid responses were received for data analysis. Linear regression analysis was run in SPSS software to test the proposed hypotheses. Research findings show that attitude has the most substantial influence on purchase intention of Gen Z, then followed by health consciousness, subjective norms, and lastly, personal norms. Notably, environmental concern and knowledge of organic food do not necessarily affect Gen Z's purchase intention. Our findings suggest that related stakeholders in the organic food market adjust their production and marketing tactics to attract Gen Z better. Keywords: Organic food, Purchase intention, Generation Z, Vietnam