Chinese consumers’ perceptions, attitude, and purchase intention of organic products

Abstract

Organic agricultural production addresses environmental sustainability and food safety concerns that arise from contemporary industrial farming practices. This study focuses on urban China and aims to explore a behavioural model through which consumers' beliefs and attitudes toward organic food influence their consumption. The proposed model integrates the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) with the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) model. Over 1500 participants from Beijing, Shanghai, and Chongqing participated in an online survey, reporting their organic food consumption behaviours and preferences. The data were analyzed using a structural equation model. The results generally support the TPB model, suggesting that attitudes toward organic food, social norms, and the availability of products and information related to organic food predicted consumers' purchase intentions and consumption of organic products. The results are also consistent with the SOR model, revealing that participants’ positive perceptions of organic food attributes, such as sensory properties, nutritional value, and ecological welfare, were positively associated with their attitudes toward hedonic, utilitarian, and ethical benefits. Moreover, attitudes regarding hedonic and utilitarian benefits correlated positively with purchase intention and consumption behaviour. Surprisingly, attitudes toward the ethical benefits of organic food did not show a direct relationship with purchase intention. However, a positive attitude toward ethical benefits was linked to enhanced attitudes toward hedonic and utilitarian benefits, thus indirectly influencing purchase intention. The results shed light on the strategy for promoting sustainable food consumption.