UK Consumers Research Articles

Consumers' perceptions and willingness to purchase pork labelled ‘raised without antibiotics’

As a recent addition to the UK market, it is unknown how ‘raised without antibiotics’ labelled products are perceived or how they influence consumer food choice. Understanding consumers' perceptions towards the ‘raised without antibiotics’ label can determine knowledge of the label and what drives them to purchase products raised without antibiotics. Subsequently, using an online questionnaire with 1000 participants aged 18–92 years old, this study explored UK consumers' perceptions and willingness to buy ‘raised without antibiotics’ labelled pork, and examined their knowledge of antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance (AMR11Antimicrobial resistance.). Cross-sectional data were collected investigating consumer perceptions and willingness to purchase ‘raised without antibiotics’ labelled pork and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted. Respondents had high levels of knowledge towards EU regulations however, their awareness of AMR was limited. Behavioural beliefs concerning animal welfare and product quality were the main predictors of consumers' willingness to buy ‘raised without antibiotics’ labelled pork, followed by pork purchasing habits based on animal welfare qualities. Additionally, consumers who were more concerned that AMR would personally affect them, as well as those who favoured antimicrobial use for the preservation of animal welfare were willing to buy this product. Perceptions towards animal antimicrobial use acceptance, beliefs that ‘raised without antibiotics’ labelled pork is expensive, and a lack of consideration for extrinsic qualities when purchasing pork i.e., appearance, had a negative influence on willingness to buy. Moderate perceptions towards ‘raised without antibiotics’ labelled pork, lack of knowledge of agricultural antimicrobial use, and the subsequent confusion surrounding this label suggests that it is necessary to explore other labelling options to provide consumers with the information they desire while also safeguarding animal welfare.

Factors influencing the perception and decision‐making process of consumers on the choice of healthier foods in the United Kingdom: a systematic review using narrative synthesis

SummaryThe perception that foods are consumed primarily to meet physiological and nutritional needs is nowadays understood as an outdated concept. Substantial empirical literatures have proven that diverse factors influence consumers’ decisions in choosing healthy foods and diets, but the process of food choice remains complex. In this systematic review, the consumers’ perceptions on food choices are explored and the key factors that influence food choices among the UK consumers are identified. The findings of this review were reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA). The identified food choice factors were categorised into product, person and environmental (social, economic and informational)‐related factors. Interventions that would improve awareness of healthier food choices and negative impacts of factors influencing food choices are recommended. Studies on consumer behaviours around perceptions and choices of foods are scanty in the United Kingdom, and the limitations identified in this review are to be addressed in future research.

Measuring consumer attitudes using text highlighting: Methodological considerations

Direct attitude questions occupy a central position in consumer research despite concerns over validity and reliability. Text highlighting is an alternative method where participants use highlighter functions to indicate content that they 'ike' and 'dislike' as they read a text. Jaeger et al. (2022) [Food Qual Prefer, 95, 104356] introduced this approach and the present research investigated it methodologically to further assess its potential for attitude measurement. There were two research questions (RQ) that asked whether: 1) highlighting responses are independent of text characteristics (length, content); and 2) consumers’ attitudes are altered by the process of completing the highlighting task. Data were collected in an online survey on vertical farming (VF) where 1466 UK consumers took part. For RQ1, results showed that word highlighting frequency was altered by textual context and decreased for longer texts. The sentiment scores for sentences were also altered, but the characteristics about VF that consumers responded positively and negatively to were minimally influenced by text length and content. For RQ2, results showed that completion of the text highlighting task did not influence attitudes to VF, meaning that the task of highlighting did not introduce response bias. Collectively, the findings of the present research further support that text highlighting has potential for attitude measurement.

Cruise passengers’ risk reduction strategies in the wake of COVID-19

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic devastated the cruise sector with an initial global shutdown and ongoing patchy resumption, widespread reporting of virus transmission onboard and billions of dollars in economic losses. This study explores how COVID-19 has impacted Australian and UK consumers’ risk perceptions, revealing cruises are no longer considered “safe”. Consumers are more negative about, and less willing to, cruise. Cluster and Leximancer analyses identified five distinct market segments differentiated by the extent of travel risk they perceived. Specific risk reduction strategies are identified and include risk mitigation, use of risk relievers, and risk avoidance.

Predatory Monetisation? A Categorisation of Unfair, Misleading and Aggressive Monetisation Techniques in Digital Games from the Player Perspective

AbstractTechnological shifts within the video game industry have enabled many games to evolve into platforms for repeated expenditure, rather than a one-time purchase product. Monetising a game as a service is challenging, and there is concern that some monetisation strategies may constitute unfair or exploitative practices which are not adequately covered by existing law. We asked 1104 players of video games to describe a time when they had been exposed to transactions which were perceived to be misleading, aggressive or unfair. We found 35 separate techniques over eight domains: game dynamics designed to drive spending, product not meeting expectations, monetisation of basic quality of life, predatory advertising, in-game currency, pay to win, general presence of microtransactions and other. Notably, several of these reported practices seem to not align with existing UK consumer protection regulations. We discuss this potential misalignment, as well as the implications of identifying what players believe to be problematic monetisation techniques.

The role of plant-based alternative foods in sustainable and healthy food systems: Consumption trends in the UK

A global transformation towards sustainable food systems is crucial for delivering on climate change mitigation targets worldwide. In high- and middle-income settings, plant-based meat and dairy alternatives present potential substitutes for animal sourced foods, and a pathway to transition to more sustainable diets.We examined plant-based alternative foods (PBAF) consumption trends in the UK by analysing repeated cross-sectional food consumption data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2008–2019. Dietary data for 15,655 individuals aged 1.5 years and over were analysed to assess aggregate change in intake of PBAF and six other food groups that play a role in transformative dietary change. Characteristics associated with consumption of PBAF were explored using logistic regression, and consumption patterns in high and low meat consumers were explored by examining intake of potential animal product substitute food groups.The proportion of individuals reporting consumption of any PBAFs increased from 6.7% in 2008–2011, to 13.1% in 2017–2019 (p < 0.01). Compared to 2008–2011 PBAF consumption rose by 115% in 2017–2019 (p < 0.01). Females were 46% more likely than males to report consumption of PBAF (p < 0.01). Millennials (age 24–39 years) were the most likely generation to report PBAF consumption (p < 0.01 compared to generation Z (age 11–23 years) and traditionalists (age 75+ years)), as were individuals of the highest income tertile (p < 0.01). Among “low meat consumers”, PBAF consumption was on average higher than “high meat consumers” (18.6 g versus 4.8 g PBAF per day, p < 0.01).Our results support the hypothesis of a pivotal role of PBAF in the transition towards sustainable food systems in the UK, by demonstrating they are becoming increasingly popular among UK consumers. This highlights the urgent need to assess in detail the environmental and health impacts of large scale and population-wide consumption of PBAF in comparison to their animal-based equivalents.

Food neophobia modulates importance of food choice motives: Replication, extension, and behavioural validation

It was recently shown that food neophobia (FN) shows consistent patterns of relationships with the factors from the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ). The data reported in Jaeger, Roigard et al. (2021) [Appetite, 105056], based on consumer surveys in USA, Australia, and New Zealand, indicate that each of 11 FCQ factors are negatively associated with FN except for Convenience and Familiarity, which were both positively associated with FN. The present study, based on online surveys with 5752 adults aimed to replicate, using another USA sample, and extend, using samples from the UK and Germany, the earlier findings. In addition, behavioural validation of the observed FN-FCQ linkages was undertaken by directly relating FN to stated frequency of selected food and beverage (F&B) purchases and consumption. The US and UK results largely replicated the findings of Jaeger, Roigard et al. (2021), and for the two exceptions found – Convenience and Weight Control – the directional relationships matched those expected. The German results also partially supported replication, in that the relationships between FN and FCQ factors were in the expected directions, but mostly they were non-significant. Examination of self-reports of F&B purchase and consumption frequencies tended to validate the observed FN-FCQ linkages with the exceptions of Convenience and Sensory Appeal (USA and UK consumers), although these linkages were less evident in the German consumers. We suggest that the concept of high arousal underlying the food choices of those high in FN may help explain why some F&B characteristics and not others reflect FN-FCQ linkages. These findings, along with those presented in Jaeger, Roigard et al. (2021) have increased knowledge about how FN and FCQ factors influence consumer choices. It is increasingly clear that FN not only influences which specific foods are consumed but also shapes the reasons for food choice itself. Understanding this link therefore allows us to predict at a more global level those reasons that influence consumers with different degrees of FN in choosing foods.

A cross cultural investigation of retailers commitment to CSR and customer citizenship behaviour: The role of ethical standard and value relevance

Factors promoting customer citizenship behaviour are of great interest to both practitioners and academics because customer citizenship behaviour is a notable driver of business success. This study examines the role of value relevance and ethical standards in shaping consumers perceptions about retailers commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its effects on customer citizenship behaviour under different cultural contexts. It also examines the critical role of personality in shaping citizenship behaviours. Data from the UK and Egyptian consumers were collected and analysed. Data were collected from 1757 consumers and analysed using structural equation modelling (PLS/SEM). The findings indicated that value relevance and ethical standards are key drivers of retailer commitment to CSR, which in turns lead to customer citizenship behaviour. Moreover, the multiple-group analysis revealed that the degree of effect of these variables on customer citizenship behaviour differs between customers in Egypt and the UK. Specifically, the effect of value relevance and ethical standards on retailer commitment to CSR is stronger for the Egyptian customers than for the UK customers, while, CSR has stronger effects on customer citizenship behaviour for the British consumers than for the Egyptian customers. The managerial and theoretical implications were identified.

The bilateral trade effects of announcement shocks: Brexit as a natural field experiment

SummaryWe analyse the effects of uncertainty and anticipation shocks associated with the 2016 Brexit vote as a treatment on trade between the UK and 14 EU and 14 non‐EU trading partners, using the synthetic control method (SCM). After controlling for exchange rate and GDP changes, UK exports to both groups of countries fell below those of the ‘synthetic Britain’, with much of the shortfall developing over the year prior to the referendum, following the 2015 Conservative general election win. The results indicate that UK exports to EU countries may have lost nearly 25% by early 2018, due to the Brexit shock, somewhat more than those to non‐EU countries. Imports from the EU and non‐EU countries also declined a little, although there is tentative evidence that UK consumers may have been avoiding countries with preferential trade agreements (PTAs) with the EU, and possibly turning towards the Commonwealth. Overall, the results confirm that policy uncertainty has a major effect upon trade and that uncertainty about supply chain costs is a potential explanation for at least some of the shortfall.

Effect of information on consumers’ sensory evaluation of beef, plant-based and hybrid beef burgers

This study assessed the effect of providing information on the consumers’ sensory evaluation of three burgers: 100% beef, 100% plant-based and a hybrid (60% beef and 40% vegetables). A total of 99 UK consumers with balanced age and gender were recruited. Consumers assessed the burgers under blind, expected and informed conditions and answered questions on liking, Check-all-that-apply (CATA), willingness to buy (WTB) and willingness to pay (WTP). In addition, under blind and informed conditions, consumers were asked to indicate their likes and dislikes about each sample. Results show that consumers are positive towards hybrid burgers, in terms of overall acceptability, purchase intent, WTP and subjective comments. Hybrid meat products could represent an effective way for consumers to lower their meat consumption without compromising too much on the sensory quality and could represent a transition product to a more plant-based diet. These results are valuable and should inform future marketing, labelling and reformulation efforts of new hybrid meat product launches.

Food insecurity, food waste, food behaviours and cooking confidence of UK citizens at the start of the COVID-19 lockdown

PurposeThe current pilot study explored food insecurity, food waste, food related behaviours and cooking confidence of UK consumers following the COVID-19 lockdown.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 473 UK-based consumers (63% female) in March 2020. A cross-sectional online survey measured variables including food insecurity prevalence, self-reported food waste, food management behaviours, confidence and frequency of use of a range of cooking methods, type of food eaten (ultra-processed, semi-finished, unprocessed) and packaging type foods are purchased in.Findings39% of participants have experienced some food insecurity in the last 12 months. Being younger, having a greater BMI and living in a smaller household were associated with food insecurity. Green leaves, carrots, potatoes and sliced bread are the most wasted of purchased foods. Polenta, green leaves and white rice are the most wasted cooked foods. Food secure participants reported wasting a smaller percentage of purchased and cooked foods compared to food insecure participants. Overall, participants were most confident about boiling, microwaving and stir-frying and least confident with using a pressure cooker or sous vide. Food secure participants were more confident with boiling, stir-frying, grilling and roasting than insecure food participants.Practical implicationsThis has implications for post lockdown policy, including food policies and guidance for public-facing communications.Originality/valueWe identified novel differences in self-report food waste behaviours and cooking confidence between the food secure and insecure consumers and observed demographics associated with food insecurity.

Editorial and News

Editorial and News

Purchasing Power Parity Approach to Exchange Rate Misalignment in Nigeria

This study examines the purchasing power parity (PPP) approach to the determination of exchange rate misalignment in Nigeria by using two variants of the PPP: the absolute PPP (aPPP) and the relative PPP (rPPP). Data on the Nigerian Naira to US Dollar ( N/$), British Pound ( N/£) and Chinese Yuan (N /¥) interbank exchange rates, Nigeria consumer price index and Inflation as well as the US, UK and China consumer price indices and inflation rates spanning 2008:M1 to 2018:M12 were utilized. A recently modified fractional cointegration framework was employed, taking care of smooth structural breaks and nonlinearity, while the unit root tests employed the fractional alternatives. The results confirmed that the aPPP approach to exchange rate determination is unrealistic but revealed empirical support for the rPPP approach. Furthermore, the exchange rates computed with the rPPP approach show that the interbank Naira to US Dollar, UK Pounds and Chinese Yuan exchange rates were overvalued in most of the period of this study. The period of undervaluation observed in June 2016 and April 2017 coincided with the periods when CBN introduced the investors and exporters window. The study recommends the use of rPPP for gauging the level of exchange rate misalignment in Nigeria and suggests the need to diversify the export base to appreciate the exchange rate.

Text highlighting as a new way of measuring consumers' attitudes: A case study on vertical farming

Attitude measurement occupies a central position in consumer research. Concerns over the validity and reliability of traditional measures have motivated the development of alternative approaches. The present research introduces text highlighting as a method for measurement of explicit attitudes using a case study on vertical farming (VF) with 837 UK consumers. They participated in an online survey, where they read a text about VF and used highlighting functions to mark text as ‘like’ and ‘dislike.’ Consumers approached the task in a systematic and logical way and desirable aspects of VF were frequently highlighted as ‘like’, whereas undesirable aspects were more frequently highlighted as ‘dislike’. The text highlighting responses were summarised using word clouds, frequency tables and through sentiment scores to reveal an overall positive attitude to VF among participants. Sentiment scores enabled the identification of consumer segments with interpretable differences in their attitude towards VF. Two approaches to method validation – comparison with direct attitude questions and consumer profiling – further confirmed the potential of the text highlighting method. The sentiment of specific sentences in the text highlighting task matched results from self-reported attitudinal based on Likert scales. Consumer segments with different sentiment in the text highlighting task also differed in their food technology neophobia scores in the expected direction. Future research should investigate methodological aspects of text highlighting and explore its suitability to other applications.

UK Consumers’ Preferences for Ethical Attributes of Floating Rice: Implications for Environmentally Friendly Agriculture in Vietnam

Vietnam plays an important role in bearing global food security. However, Vietnamese rice farmers face several challenges, including pressures to develop sustainable livelihoods while reducing the environmental impacts of their production activities. Various Vietnamese agricultural restructuring policies were promulgated to promote the adoption of environmentally friendly practices to generate high value added for rice farmers, but the farmers are reluctant to adopt them because of perceived lack of demand. Decreasing consumption of rice in Asia and increasing demands in Europe shaped Vietnamese rice exporting policies. New trade agreements, such as the UK–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, offer new target markets for Vietnamese rice farmers. This research provides empirical evidence related to the preferences of UK consumers for ethical attributes for floating rice imported from Vietnam. Floating rice represents a traditional method of rice cultivation that relies on the natural flooding cycle. Its cultivation uses very few agrochemical inputs and provides several other environmental, economic, and social benefits. In an online survey, the study used a choice experiment that asked 306 UK consumers to report their preferences for one kilo of floating rice with three non-market attributes: reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, allocation of profits to the farmers, and restitution of biodiversity. Overall, study participants favored the attributes of floating rice, but reported utility for only the “fair trade” attribute and for a marginal willingness to pay premiums for profit allocations to farmers. Consumers did not find value in either CO2 emission reduction or biodiversity improvement. Results from the study provide recommendations to develop agricultural programs, distribution strategies, and informational methods to encourage floating rice consumption in the UK.

Effects of Date Labels and Freshness Indicators on Food Waste Patterns in the United States and the United Kingdom

To meet the target for Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, household food waste will need to be reduced by at least 284 million tonnes globally by 2030. American and British households waste a significant amount of food, and date labels are considered to be a contributor to this situation. Using a split-plot experimental design implemented on a survey administered to a convenience sample of UK and US consumers, we aimed to determine how different types of date labels and freshness indicators affect the stated likelihoods of discarding 15 foods. We find that not all date labels would lead to reductions in waste, and that semantics matter. Overall, the likelihood to waste across products was similar between the US and the UK; however, American consumers showed a larger response to the additional information provided by the freshness indicators. Our results shed new light on the ongoing policy debate related to national strategies for simplifying and harmonizing the use of date labels for packaged foods, as well as the potential effects from the use of freshness indicators.

Using Linked Consumer Registers to Estimate Residential moves in the United Kingdom

AbstractThis paper argues that frequently updated data on the nature of residential moves and the circumstances of movers in the United Kingdom are insufficient for many research purposes. Accordingly, we develop previous research reported in this Journal to re-purpose consumer and administrative data in order to develop annual estimates of residential mobility between all UK neighbourhoods. We use a unique digital corpus of linked individual and household-level consumer registers compiled by the UK Consumer Data Research Centre, comprising over 143 million unique address records pertaining to the entire UK adult population over the period 1997–2016. We describe how records pertaining to individuals vacating a property can be assigned to their most probable residential destination, based on novel methods of matching names, assessing household composition, and using information on the date and probable distance of residential moves. We believe that the results of this analysis contribute highly granular, frequently updated estimates of residential moves that can be used to chart population-wide outcomes of residential mobility and migration behaviour, as well as the socio-spatial characteristics of the sedentary population.

Egg enrichment with vitamin D: The Sunshine Eggs projects

AbstractVitamin D deficiency is a significant public health issue in the UK with almost one in five adults having poor vitamin D status and most people failing to meet the Reference Nutrient Intake of 10 µg/day. There is an urgent need to address poor population vitamin D status through the development of food‐based strategies. Eggs can be enriched with vitamin D through manipulating vitamin D content in hens’ feed. The Sunshine Eggs project was launched in 2015 through Innovate UK funding and brought together Noble Foods Ltd, DSM Nutritional Products Ltd and Newcastle University. The research demonstrated that feeding flocks of commercial hens up to 75 µg of 25‐D/kg (25‐hydroxyvitamin D3 via Rovimix® Hy‐D®) of feed for 6 weeks improved egg total vitamin D content by 40%. These results informed the reformulation of the UK’s leading free‐range egg brand ‘Happy Egg’ in October 2018, offering vitamin D–enriched eggs to the consumer. This article outlines the aims of a second Innovate UK‐funded Sunshine Eggs 2 project, which seeks to maximise the commercial potential of vitamin D–enriched eggs through several objectives. These relate to understanding (1) how storage/cooking methods affect egg vitamin D content; (2) whether enriched egg consumption improves vitamin D status in a human intervention trial; (3) consumer attitudes towards enriched eggs; and (4) market research to identify commercial opportunities for enriched eggs. The project seeks to drive fundamental impact across academic, commercial and public health nutrition sectors, in helping to offer viable vitamin D–enriched foods for UK consumers.

Availability of 'Do-It-Yourself' orthodontics in the United Kingdom.

Objective:To identify the number of companies providing Do-It-Yourself (DIY) orthodontics and explore information available on websites for DIY brace providers operating in the UK.Design:Web search and review of websites providing DIY braces.Setting:Leeds, UK.Methods:A Web search was completed in November 2020 and April 2021 of all companies providing DIY braces for UK consumers. Each website was evaluated, and the following data collected: name; year started operating; costs; process; involvement of a dental professional; average ‘treatment’ length; retention; consent process; information on risks and benefits; aligner material; social media presence; age suitability; and consumer ratings on Trustpilot. Quality of website information was assessed via the DISCERN tool.Results:Seven DIY orthodontic companies were operating in the UK. Websites reviewed revealed the following: product costs were in the range of £799–£1599, ‘treatment’ length quotes were in the range of 4–12 months; Trustpilot reviews were in the range of 1.6–4.8 stars; and websites claimed their aligners were suitable for individuals with an age range of 12–18 years. Quality of content regarding risks described on websites varied, and there was limited information regarding involvement of a dental professional. Quality of websites information scored ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ on the DISCERN scoring.Conclusions:There has been an increase in the number of DIY orthodontic companies operating in the UK over the last three years. There is a need to determine whether these products constitute dental treatment in their own right. If so, it is crucial to ensure these are regulated appropriately with adequate information available to satisfy informed consent and have greater transparency over dental professional involvement to safeguard the public.

Post Brexit trade with the US

Post Brexit trade with the US