Does Perceived Scarcity of Money for Food Induce Lower Decline of Enjoyment and Higher Short-term Consumption?

Abstract

It is known that the decline in enjoyment may be influenced by factors other than the quantity consumed. This study tests the hypothesis that the decline in enjoyment from additional consumption under situational scarcity (more specifically the perceived scarcity of money to buy food) is low compared with the decline in enjoyment when resources are not limited, resulting in higher consumption under situational scarcity. The study followed a between-subjects factorial design with 4 scarcity levels (low [1 level], medium [2 levels], and high [1 level]) in a laboratory-controlled experiment where college students were randomly assigned to different conditions to observe how scarcity perceptions influenced the amount of food consumed and the decline in its enjoyment. As hypothesized, participants in the high scarcity condition consumed more than those in the low or medium conditions. These findings provide evidence that consumption of energy-dense food is higher under situational scarcity scenarios. Future research should build on the findings of this study to investigate the relationship between scarcity, declines in enjoyment associated with additional consumption, and food consumption with other food groups and consumer subpopulations.