The role of demographic variables in purchasing decisions on fresh fruit and vegetables

Author: M. Goksel Akpinar ^1*, Sibel Mehter Aykin ², Cengiz Sayin ¹ and Burhan Ozkan ^1*

Received 11 June 2009, accepted 12 October 2009.

Abstract

Many researches on consumer behaviors employing different models and tools in the field of agricultural and food products marketing have been developed and applied. Nevertheless, decision-making particularities of the consumers have not been explained to the full sense. This paper focuses on the consumer preferences by analyzing the correlation between socio-economic, demographic profiles and the criteria applied in fresh fruit and vegetable purchasing decisions. The research was carried out in Antalya province of Turkey by using the data of 2007. Data gathered by means of questionnaires, applied to some 300 consumers by face-to-face interviews, have been assessed by chi-square analysis. Pearson chi-square test results show that correlation between the gender, education and income variables and the sensitivity to the particularities of some of the products is meaningful on 5% significance level statistically. The research results indicate that appreciation degree of the products’ taste, smell and presentation and that of the market environment differ between men and women in fresh fruit and vegetable purchasing behaviors, whereas, sensitivity to the price of the product, food content, seasonality and organic production differ among the consumers according to their education and income levels. Furthermore, findings of the research gave important hints as to the impact of the gender distribution of the population and that of the rise in income and education levels of the consumers on the production and marketing conditions of fresh fruit and vegetables. It seems likely that in the forthcoming years, improvements in the education and income indicators in Turkey leading to awareness rising on healthy and quality choices in consumption will absolutely bring about a rise in the demand for organic fresh fruit and vegetables.