INFLUENCE OF GENDER, MARITAL STATUS AND LOCATION ON CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS ORGANIC FOOD PRODUCTS
Keywords:
Organic food products; Consumer buying behaviour; Gender; Marital status; Residential location; Demographic factors; Purchase intention; Consumer preferences; Sustainable consumption; Organic food market.,,Abstract
Increased health, environment and food safety awareness has led to a rapid growth of organic
food products demand globally. But there is variation in the purchase attitudes of consumers to
organic food at the group level. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of gender,
marital status and area of residence on consumers' buying behavior of the organic food
products. The research design used was quantitative and primary data were collected through
a structured questionnaire filled by consumers. Independent sample t-tests were used to
compare the buying behaviour of the different groups of demographics at the 5% level of
significance. The results showed that the consumers' buying behaviour of male consumers
(Mean = 4.12) was significantly higher than female consumers (Mean = 3.85), (t = −4.52, p <
0.05). In the same way, consumers who are married showed more buying behaviour (Mean =
4.08) than unmarried consumers (Mean = 3.79) (t = 4.89, p < 0.05). Besides, there was
statistically significant difference between the urban and rural consumers, in terms of buying
behaviour (t = 5.42, p < 0.05), with the former showing higher score (Mean = 4.15) than the
latter (Mean = 3.82). The null hypothesis was found to be rejected for all the comparisons since
the probability values were below 0.05 significance level, thereby showing that the variables
(Gender, Marital Status and Residential Location) have significant differences on consumer
buying behaviour towards the purchase of organic food products. The results show that the
demographic characteristics have important influence on consumers' preferences, purchase
intentions, and purchasing decisions. Married and urban consumers have higher buying
behaviour, which can be explained by their higher health awareness, purchasing power and
better availability of organic food products. The study offers several implications for marketers,
retailers, organic food producers and policy makers in terms of creating marketing strategies
that target consumers of different ages, offering more awareness programs to all consumers,
and increasing the availability of organic food products for a wider range of consumers. The
study adds to the body of knowledge in the area of consumer behaviour and can help to develop
effective strategies to encourage sustainable food choices.
