Halal food purchase intention of Muslim students in Spain: testing the moderating effect of need-for-cognition

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the purchase intention of halal food products in Spain, from the perspective of Muslim students.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 500 Muslim students living in Spain. Variance-based structural equation modelling was applied to evaluate the association between halal credence, attitude towards halal, need for cognition and purchase intention.FindingsThis study reveals that the need for cognition does not act as a moderating variable, while halal credence factor is an important factor affecting attitude towards halal and purchase intention.Practical implicationsThis study provides an additional study on the topic of halal consumer behaviour, especially by showing an empirical result from Spain.Originality/valueThis study is the first attempt to incorporate the need for cognition into the relationship between halal credence, attitude towards halal and purchase intention (traditional theory of planned behaviour model).