Factors Influencing Seaweed Consumption: The Role of Values, Self-Identity, Norms and Attitudes

Abstract

<p>To mitigate climate change and ecological degradation, societies must change how they produce and consume food. In 2013, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) highlighted the need to use alternative food sources to reach a more sustainable food system. In this context, seaweed has excellent potential as its production does not need fertilizers and does not engender freshwater pollution. Seaweeds are also good for limiting carbon emissions as seaweed captures and stores CO₂. <p>Seaweed consumption is not new. In Asia (for example, China, Japan and Korea), seaweed's taste and health qualities make it a very popular ingredient in Asian food culture and traditions. In Europe, seaweed remains unfamiliar to consumers; however, in recent years, an increasing amount of new seaweed food products and an increase in the consumption of seaweed food have revealed a trend towards higher consumer acceptance regarding seaweed. <p>Yet, there has been little research regarding consumers' behavior towards seaweed as food. This dissertation provides three articles with the overall aim of improving the theoretical and empirical understanding of the consumption of seaweed food products within different theoretical frameworks (e.g. norm activation model (NAM), value-attitude-behavior (VAB)) and analytical procedures (e.g. structural equation analysis and cluster analysis). This thesis is structured around five research objectives. The first objective is to explain and predict seaweed consumption using an extended version of the NAM (Paper 1). The second objective (Paper 2) is to explore and extend the VAB theoretical framework (the relationship between values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors) in the context of seaweed food products. The third objective (Papers 1 and 2) aims to explore whether and how perceived behavioral control and consumer food innovativeness influence the strength of the relationship between attitude/intention and behavior. The fourth objective (Paper 3) is to identify and discuss seaweed consumers' profiles or characteristics based on their identity and value. The final aim (Section 2.5) is to explore cross-cultural differences in personal norms, attitudes, intentions and behavior towards seaweed food products between Norway and the UK. <p><i>Design/methodology/approach:</i> This thesis is based on two data sets from two online surveys. The first survey was conducted in Norway in 2020 and resulted in a sample of 426 adults. The second survey was conducted in the UK in 2022 and resulted in a sample of 1,110 adults. Both samples were representative of gender, age and region. <p>We applied confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) to achieve the first three goals. To identify consumer profiles (Objective 4), a cluster analysis and ANOVA were conducted. Finally, a two-sample t-test was performed to explore cross-cultural differences between Norway and the UK (Objective 4). All the analyses were performed using STATA statistical software. <p><i>Summary of the findings:</i> The first research objective aims to explain seaweed food consumption using the norm activation framework. Paper 1’s findings confirmed the robustness of an extended norm activation model to explain the intention of consuming seaweed. The results showed a positive relationship between awareness of health consequences and intention to eat seaweed, and between ascription of responsibility and intention. Intention and food innovativeness are both predictors of seaweed consumption. The findings suggest that consumers are motivated to consume seaweed food products if they believe these products have positive health consequences. In addition, the results indicated that environmental consideration plays a vital role in the formation of intention. <p>The second research objective aims to expand our understanding of the factors affecting seaweed food consumption, directly and indirectly, using the VAB framework. In Paper 2, an extended version of the VAB theory, assessing the influence of hedonistic values and perceived uniqueness versus biospheric values and perceived naturalness, was tested. Norwegian consumers had a positive attitude towards seaweed consumption, and they perceived seaweed as unique and natural. Both perceived uniqueness and naturalness triggered a positive response towards seaweed foods from the public. <p>Moreover, consumers with hedonistic values were more likely to have positive attitudes towards seaweed consumption when they perceived seaweed as unique. Similarly, consumers with biospheric values were more likely to have positive attitudes towards seaweed consumption when seaweed products were perceived as natural. Consumers with biospheric values were more likely to consume seaweed than those with hedonistic values. This finding indicated that most Norwegian consumers form their attitudes towards seaweed consumption according to biospheric values and health considerations. <p>In Papers 1 and 2, we explored whether and how perceived behavioral control and consumer food innovativeness influence the strength of the relationship between attitude/intention and seaweed consumption behavior. The findings in Paper 1 indicated that consumer food innovativeness positively moderates the relationship between intention and seaweed consumption, suggesting that innovative food consumers are more likely to consume seaweed food. Moreover, Paper 2 showed that the relationship between attitude and consumption is stronger when consumers feel it is easy to consume seaweed food products. <p>For the fourth research objective (Paper 3), we identified and explored seaweed consumers' profiles and characteristics based on their values and self-identity. Then we investigated how knowledge, personal norms, intentions, attitudes and consumption of seaweed foods vary between these groups. The results revealed how environmental, altruistic and health-related values and identity can effectively segment consumers into homogeneous groups. We identified three consumer groups: progressive, traditional and egoistic. Consumers in these groups show differences in their propensity to consume seaweed foods and their knowledge, personal norms, attitudes and intentions regarding seaweed food products. The so-called “progressive consumers” perceived themselves as food-innovative and healthy, and valued the environment and their well-being highly. They were more inclined to consume seaweed food products. <p>For the fifth and final research objective, we compared personal norms, attitudes, intentions and behavior towards seaweed food products between Norway and the UK. The results underlined that Norwegian respondents were willing to eat seaweed products more frequently than respondents from the UK. Norwegian consumers perceived seaweed as healthier, more natural, tastier, more unique, newer, safer and more accessible than their UK counterparts. In both countries, respondents equally perceived seaweed foods as expensive and smelly. Thus, extra efforts would be needed to introduce seaweed food products to UK consumers than to Norwegian consumers. For both countries, marketers should highlight their seaweed products' health and environmental characteristics to increase consumer acceptance, given consumers’ concerns about their health and the environment.