Why Don't People Consume Fast Food? Applying the Consumption Value Model

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2022.104550

Explanation

The consumption value model was used in this study to examine the nature of consumption values that distinguish between formal and informal consumers of fast food. The data to be validated was collected from a total of 307 respondents through a self-administered, online survey, which analyzed the respondents' regular fast food consumers and non-consumers and their frequency of fast food consumption. (More than 2-3 times a week for RCs and less than once every two weeks for non-RCs)

Factor analysis was used for validation, and 15 factors were extracted for six consumption values (functional, social, emotional, conditional, epistemological, and process values). Discriminant analysis showed that five of the 15 factors influence the discrimination between RC and non-RC.

The results revealed that RCs consume fast food because of convenience and taste, while non-RCs avoid fast food because of the guilt they feel when consuming fast food and the sense of accomplishment they feel when not consuming fast food. It has also been shown that in the presence of certain conditions (e.g., food safety issues, time pressure, stress), people behave in ways that deviate from their normal behavior.

The results of these studies were described as providing marketers with an understanding of the consumption values that consumers perceive in fast food and further enabling them to develop marketing strategies that better appeal to customers.