Abstract

 
 
 Consumer ethnocentrism (CET), healthiness perception and health consciousness have been extensively researched in regard to consumer food choices. Literature on domestic food choices provides evidence that CET positively affects consumer preferences toward domestic food. However, the effect of health consciousness on domestic food choices has not yet received a ention. Our online study (N=227, convenience sample from Lithuanian population) closes this gap by showing that health consciousness is an important individual trait in domestic food choices beyond consumer ethnocentrism and represents the first study to analyze CET in light of food healthiness perception. All constructs were measured using established self-report scales. Empirical results obtained through structural equation modelling show that (1) health consciousness increases healthiness perception and willingness to buy domestic food. Moreover, (2) health consciousness is an important individual trait in domestic food choices beyond CET; (3) healthiness perception of domestic food has an impact on consumer purchase decisions; (4) CET has a positive impact on domestic food healthiness perception. The study provides managerial implications for domestic and foreign producers.
 
 
Highlights
Consumer food choices are influenced by a diverse spectrum of factors (e.g., Symmank et al, 2017; Sobal et al, 2006) such as product quality (Mai & Hoffmann, 2017), taste (Mai & Hoffmann, 2012), price (Murphy et al, 2004), mood and emotions (Gibson, 2006), image of the store (Ryu et al, 2012), presence of other consumers (Mcferran et al, 2009)
The findings of our study show that health consciousness and consumer ethnocentrism (CET) both have a positive impact on consumer willingness to buy domestic food
Our findings are in line with previous studies on the relationship between CET and consumer willingness to buy domestic food (Kavak & Gumusluoglu, 2007; Bilkey & Nes, 1982; Balabanis & Diamantopoulos, 2004; Schnettler et al, 2011; Fernández-Ferrín & Bande-Vilela, 2013; Fernández-Ferrín et al, 2018) and on the relationship between healthiness perception and willingness to buy domestic food (Gineikiene et al, 2016)
Summary
Consumer food choices are influenced by a diverse spectrum of factors (e.g., Symmank et al, 2017; Sobal et al, 2006) such as product quality (Mai & Hoffmann, 2017), taste (Mai & Hoffmann, 2012), price (Murphy et al, 2004), mood and emotions (Gibson, 2006), image of the store (Ryu et al, 2012), presence of other consumers (Mcferran et al, 2009). Health consciousness affects consumers’ food choice such that health-conscious consumers assign higher importance to health-related food attributes such as fat and sugar content, while individuals low in health consciousness choose food based on non-health related attributes, like taste and price (Mai & Hoffmann, 2012) Another factor which plays a role in consumer product choice is consumer ethnocentrism (CET), a belief about the morality of purchasing foreign products (Shimp & Sharma, 1987). We extend existing findings by Gineikiene et al (2016) by showing that health consciousness is an important individual trait in domestic food choices beyond consumer ethnocentrism. This is the first study that analyzes CET in light of food healthiness perception. The following sections will cover the theoretical background linking health consciousness, domestic product preference, consumer ethnocentrism concepts and will lead to the proposed hypotheses
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