Abstract
Previous studies have generated important insights into consumer behavior. However, no study has addressed how to persuade young people belonging to Generation Z to increase the purchase intention of food products from a gender perspective. Drawing on ambivalent sexism theory, this paper explores the influence of the attitude toward advertising and the ethical judgment to predict consumers’ food product purchase intention. We applied a quantitative method, partial least squares structural equation modeling, to 105 individuals. Two advertisements with different food products and female role stereotype categories are using: (1) women in a traditional role or housewife’s role (benevolent sexism), and (2) women in a decorative role or physical attractiveness (hostile). However, the results show that attitude toward advertising has a direct and positive influence on purchase intention in advertisement with benevolent sexism. In addition, the effect of ethical judgment on consumers’ food product purchase intention is not significant. In the advertisement with hostile sexism, both—attitude toward advertising and ethical judgment—directly and positively impact purchase intention. The study provides a novelty conceptual model in the food industry for Generation Z and recommendations on the use of female sexist stereotypes in food and beverage advertising.
Highlights
Gender stereotypes are defined as general beliefs about the roles, behaviors, and psychological characteristics that describe women and men [1]
This study showed some interesting findings that, from a theoretical perspective, can contribute to broadening the current knowledge of the perception of advertising gender stereotypes in the field of young people of Generation Z and their impact on the intention to buy food products
It is a novel study in the food industry since it has tested the perceptions of these stereotypes in this age cohort, which is so important in current and future food consumption
Summary
Gender stereotypes are defined as general beliefs about the roles, behaviors, and psychological characteristics that describe women and men [1]. The present research focuses on Generation Z, the group of young people born between 1994 and 2010 [14,15], by jointly analyzing the effect on the intention to purchase food products of two perceptual dimensions that have never been used together in the theory of ambivalent sexism, attitude toward the advertisement and ethical judgment, to fill the gap above-mentioned. Generation Z accounts for more than 30% of the world’s population [20] and makes up a quarter of the UK population, with high purchasing power, and almost 40% of all U.S consumers [19] They spend a lot of time and effort in the buying process trying to justify their purchases as intelligent, the influence of advertisement and the opinions of others through networks and interpersonal communication are relevant [21].
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