The consumption of convenience foods: reference groups and eating situations

Abstract

The theory of reasoned action was applied to study situational influence on the consumption of TV dinners. We investigated five situations, which were either time-related (weekdays vs weekends) or social (“dinner alone”, “dinner with family”, and “dinner with friends”). The intention to use a TV dinner decreased from “alone” via “with family” to “with friends”, but did not differ between weekdays and weekends. Subjective norms were a stronger influence on intentions than attitudes in all situations, except for “weekdays” and “dinner alone”. Primary reference groups were a stronger influence on intentions than secondary reference groups, and the motivation to comply with a particular reference group increased substantially when it joined for dinner. Consumption frequency for TV dinners was higher in households where the person responsible for meal preparation held a paid job, and it was positively related to the number of hours that this person was employed.