Cultural contrasts in vegan food choice: A multi-methods comparative analysis of consumption values in Portugal and India

Abstract

This study examines the impact of consumption values on vegan food purchase intentions through a cross-cultural comparison between India and Portugal, two culturally distinct countries with divergent food traditions and value systems. Using the Theory of Consumption Values (TCV) as the framework, we analyze how functional, emotional, social, epistemic, conditional, and ecological values impact vegan purchasing decisions. We utilize both Partial Least Squares Multigroup Analysis (PLS-MGA) and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) on 394 responses collected via self-administered surveys.

Results show significant differences across countries: Indian consumers are primarily influenced by functional price, conditional, and emotional values, while Portuguese consumers tend to rely more on epistemic and functional quality. Notably, ecological value appears as a key predictor in both contexts. NCA results indicate that several values—particularly ecological, conditional, and functional price—are necessary (but not sufficient) for vegan food purchase intention. These findings challenge the TCV's assumption of additive and interchangeable value contributions, highlighting the importance of necessity-based reasoning in consumption choices.

This study contributes theoretically by expanding TCV with ecological value and methodologically by incorporating NCA. Practically, it provides actionable insights for marketers seeking to promote vegan consumption in culturally diverse markets.