1 Green Products: A Study on Young & Native Swedish Consumers’ Purchase Intentions of Green

Products

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2 Attitudes and behaviour towards organic products: an exploratory study

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Purpose – The aim of this paper is to identify consumers’ attitudes and behaviour towards organic
products in Greece.

Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws on a non-probability quota sample of 660

respondents to explore the attitudes and behaviour of Greek consumers towards organic food
products.

Findings – Greek consumers seem to be informed about environmental and health issues. They seek
information about the nutritional value of food and demand more products free from chemical
residues. The results show that most consumers associate organic consumption mainly with fruit and
vegetables. Although demographics seem to affect attitudes towards organics, their value in
explaining actual behaviour is minimal.

Research limitations/implications – It is recognized that the data gathered in this study focus on
the metropolitan area of Thessaloniki, Greece. The specific area though, is considered to be
representative of the total Greek population. The results confirm that health, concern for the
environment, animal welfare and support of the local economy are drivers of organic consumption.
However, there is an indication that the importance of motives and barriers may vary for different
product categories and perhaps future research should focus on product segmentation.

Practical implications – Although certain similarities in consumers’ attitudes towards organic

food products have been identified, this paper records the variation in behaviour towards organics
among the various consumer groups examined in Greece, and highlights the gap between attitudes
and actual behaviour. Given the complexity of consumer decision making, future research should
explore the other value trade-offs that consumers make.

Concern for health, environmental protection, concern for the chemical residues in conventional
food products, pesticides, nutritional concerns, as well as improved taste and flavor in organic
products are some of the factors identified (Squires et al., 2001). Health concern appears as the
most important reason for purchasing and consuming organic food (Tregear et al., 1994; Huang,
1996; Schlegelmilch et al., 1996; Wandel and Bugge, 1997; von Alvensleben, 1998; Magnusson et al.,
2001; Padel and Foster, 2005). Environmental concern, although not a priority issue seems to also
affect consumption of organic products (Tregear et al., 1994; von Alvensleben, 1998; Schifferstein
and Oude Ophuis, 1998). Previous
experience with organic food seems also to positively affect attitudes towards organics (Roddy et al.,
1996). In any case, the importance of individual factors appears to be country specific and/or time
specific (Davis et al., 1995). Even in cases where similar attitudes between different countries were
depicted, cultural differences lead consumers to seek different values when making purchasing
decisions on organic food (Baker et al., 2002).

organic food buyers tend to be younger than non-buyers (Jolly, 1991).

Women seem to be more interested in organics than men, and they are more frequent
buyers than men (Davis et al., 1995; Wandel and Bugge, 1997). Overall, more positive
attitudes towards organic food have been detected in women as opposed to men (Lea
and Worsley, 2005). Age seems also to affect consumer attitudes towards organic food.
Young people are more environmentally conscious but less willing to pay more due to
their lower purchasing power, whereas older people are more health conscious and
more willing to pay an extra price for organic food (Wandel and Bugge, 1997;
Thompson and Kidwell, 1998; von Alvensleben, 1998; Fotopoulos and Krystallis, 2002).

Questions:
1 beliefs about the characteristics of organic food compared to conventionally produced alternatives (Zotos et
al., 1999);
2 consumers’ attitudes towards organic food (Misra et al., 1991);
3 consumers’ behaviour towards organic food (Grunert and Juhl, 1995);
4 differences in price between organic and conventional food (Halbrendt et al., 1995); and
5 the demographic characteristics of the respondents (Grunert and Juhl, 1995; Misra et al., 1991; Zotos et al.,
1999; Papastefanou, 1997).

3 Attitudes towards organic foods among Swedish consumers

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The present study reports demographic differences with respect to Swedish consumers' attitudes
towards organic foods (milk, meat, potatoes, bread), purchase frequency, purchase criteria,
perceived availability, and beliefs about organic foods. A random nation-wide sample of 2,000
respondents, aged 18-65 years, were mailed a questionnaire and 1,154 (58 per cent) responded. The
majority of consumers, and particularly women and young respondents (18-25 years) reported
positive attitudes, but purchase frequency was low. A total of 13 per cent stated that they regularly
bought organic milk. Corresponding figures for organic meat, potatoes, and bread were 13, 16, and
8 per cent respectively. The most important purchase criterion was good taste, and the least
important was ``organically produced''. Approximately half of the respondents were satisfied with
the availability of the organic foods. The organic foods were perceived to be more expensive and
healthier than conventionally produced alternatives. A major obstacle to the purchase of organic
foods was reported to be premium prices. The results suggest that the consumption will not increase
as long as important purchase criteria and perceived beliefs about organic foods do not match.

Research related to consumer preferences and demand for organic foods is sparse (Huang, 1996;
Wilkins and Hillers, 1994). In the majority of studies, many consumers (33-61 per cent) declare that
they have a preference for and an interest in organically produced foods (Ekelund, 1989; Misra et al.,
1991; Wandel and Bugge, 1997; Wilkins and Hillers, 1994). Yet, the proportion of consumers who
purchase organic foods regularly is low (von Alvensleben, 1998; Grunert, 1993; Grunert and
Kristensen, 1995; Roddy et al., 1996; Wandel and Bugge, 1997). Roddy and co-workers (1996) found
that 10 per cent of Irish consumers were frequent buyers, i.e. they bought organic foods at least
once a week. The results from a Norwegian study are similar in that 13 per cent reported often
buying organic foods (Wandel and Bugge, 1997). A study among Danish consumers (Grunert and
Kristensen, 1995) demonstrated that 8 per cent were regular buyers of organic milk and cream.
Corresponding figures for vegetables and meat were 23 per cent and 3 per cent respectively
(Grunert and Kristensen, 1995). However, a consumer survey from California shows a
different pattern. As many as 23 per cent stated that they regularly purchased organic foods (Jolly,
1991). Findings from three German consumer surveys in 1984, 1989 and 1994 show that the
proportion of frequent buyers of organic foods have increased from 1984 (5 per cent) to 1994 (15
per cent) (von Alvensleben, 1998). In an early Swedish study, 19 per cent of the interviewees
said that they deliberately searched for organic foods (Ekelund, 1989), and more recently (Mathisson
and Schollin, 1994) around 20 per cent of consumers in a few large Swedish cities stated that they
bought organic vegetables regularly. The results from these studies are difficult to compare, since
they employ different criteria for ``regular purchases'', and their focuses vary between specific food
items, product categories and organic foods in general.
The concept of ``organic food'' seems to be well-known by many consumers. A total of 91 per cent of
Irish consumers had heard of organic foods (Roddy et al., 1996) and the majority (93 per cent) in
northern Germany knew about organic foods (von Alvensleben and Altmann, 1987). This conclusion
appears to be valid also among Swedish consumers (Mathisson and Schollin, 1994). Thus, a majority
of consumers seem to have at least some notion of the concept of ``organic food''.