Investigating college students' green food consumption intentions in China: integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior and Norm Activation Theory

Abstract

IntroductionThe global trend toward consuming green food is on the rise. College students, as the future consumer base, have sparked significant interest in their inclination toward consuming environmentally-friendly foods. This paper integrates the Theory of Planned Behavior with the Norm Activation Theory to investigate the factors influencing college students' propensity to choose green foods, establishing a comprehensive model.MethodsThis study utilized online and paper questionnaires for data collection, distributing them among college students and receiving 350 valid responses. In the data analysis phase, SPSS was employed for statistical data analysis, including descriptive statistics and regression analysis, while AMOS was used for structural equation modeling.Results and discussionThe data analysis results indicate that subjective norms, behavioral attitudes, and individual norms have a significant positive influence on college students' inclination to purchase green food. Purchase intention is indirectly influenced by personal norms and behavioral attitudes through perceptions of consequences. Responsibility attribution indirectly impacts purchase intention of green food through personal norms. Personal norms are indirectly influenced by responsibility attribution through perceptions of consequences.