Theory of planned behavior to predict consumer behavior in using products irrigated with purified wastewater in Iran consumer

Abstract

Water shortages in some countries such as Iran have led farmers to use purified wastewater to irrigate their farms. The analysis of consumer behavior using these products is considered as one of the main issues in this regard. Among the behavioral predictor models, the theory of planned behavior is a model that can be a reliable model due to the focus on some variables such as consumer attitudes, subjective norms, as well as their perceived behavioral control. Another advantage of this model is related to the flexibility of the model in adding other variables and the possibility of increasing the power of predicting behavior. The present study aimed to examine the production of some agricultural products with purified wastewater in Iran and predict consumer behavior. The analysis of the consumer behavior in using products irrigated with purified wastewater can help plan more carefully for the cultivation of such crops. This study used the extended theory of planned behavior by adding risk perception to predict people behavior towards consuming products irrigated with purified wastewater. Data were collected from 400 villagers consuming products irrigated with purified wastewater through a questionnaire and analyzed using PLS and SPSS software. The results showed that the original theory of planned behavior explained 42.7% of the variance in consumer behavior towards the consumption of this product. The main variables of the original theory included attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms, which positively affected the consumer intentions. The risk perception was found to be the strongest predictor of consumer behavior, and their relationship was negative and significant. The addition of risk perception to the extended theory of planned behavior increased the ability of the models to explain consumer behavior by 15.4%. Policymakers and relevant organizations can promote behavior towards the consumption of this product by emphasizing risk perception and providing the consumers with the required types of knowledge and information.