Positive versus negative information: What is really shifting consumers’ intention to eat Norwegian salmon? Evidence from three European countries

Abstract

This study provides empirical evidence on the drivers affecting Norwegian salmon consumption in three European countries – Italy, Poland, and France – using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). We also highlight the effects of positive and negative information about the sustainability of salmon farming on consumers’ perceptions and behaviour. The empirical study was conducted using an online survey with representative samples of French (n = 748), Italian (n = 771) and Polish (n = 756) consumers. A treatment including neutral, positive, and negative information was applied using a between-subjects design in the three countries. This study confirms the role of attitudes in affecting consumers’ intentions, and consequently, behaviour. We show that negative information more strongly affects consumers’ attitudes and intentions than positive one, as the negative information frame modifies the structural paths in the studied countries. Newly available negative information also affects the way that attitude and intention correlate with the individuals’ prior health and environmental beliefs.