Is craft beer consumption genderless? Exploratory evidence from Italy and Germany

Roberta Spadoni,Sergio Rivaroli,Jörg Lindenmeier

doi:10.1108/bfj-06-2019-0429

Roberta Spadoni, Sergio Rivaroli + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1108/bfj-06-2019-0429

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Abstract

PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the gendered nature of craft beer (CB) consumption in Italy and Germany.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through online surveys in Italy (N = 210) and Germany (N = 211). Based on an enhanced version of the theory of planned behaviour, mean value difference tests and moderated regression analyses with gender as a moderator were performed to test gender effects on CB consumption behaviour.FindingsThe study results provide evidence that the gap in CB consumption behaviour is not very pronounced. In the German sample, gender did not moderate the effects of the model components on behavioural intent. However, the study found significant mean differences in all model variables. In the Italian sample, gender moderated the effects of several components of the theory of planned behaviour on behavioural intention. Hence, CB consumption appears to represent an opportunity for Italian women to negotiate their womanhood in a historically masculine-dominated space.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of these data are the focus on two specific countries, the use of small-sized samples and the prediction of behavioural intentions instead of actual behaviour.Practical implicationsThe study may help marketing managers develop appropriate marketing strategies based on a better understanding of gender-specific needs in CB consumption.Originality/valueThis investigation provides the first comparative analysis of gender-specific behavioural patterns in CB consumption in two European countries characterised by notably different beer cultures.

Highlights

There is a widespread belief that there are gender differences in the consumption of alcohol (Beardsworth et al, 2002)
The respondents belonging to the German sample have a similar profile in terms of age and education level, whereas gender differences occur in terms of employment situation and willingness to pay for 0.4 lt of craft beer (CB), with females having a higher willingness to pay for CB than men
The findings of our investigation provide an initial picture of gender-specific CB consumption patterns in Italy and Germany, two European countries characterised by different beer cultures

Summary

Introduction

There is a widespread belief that there are gender differences in the consumption of alcohol (Beardsworth et al, 2002). Much of the research on alcohol consumption has focused on the role of gender in craft beer (referred to here as CB) purchasing and consumption behaviour (Clarke, 2012; Snider, 2016; Darwin, 2017, 2018; Donadini and Porretta, 2017; Gomez-Corona et al, 2016b; Gomez-Corona et al, 2017a, 2017b; Muggah and McSweeney, 2017). The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode

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