Price Sensitivity, Perceived Food Quality, and Intention to Purchase Fast Food in the Context of Health-Consciousness of University Students

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the moderating effect of university students' health consciousness on the relationship between price sensitivity and their intention to purchase, as well as the relationship between perceived food quality and their intention to purchase in the fast-food industry. Data were collected from 147 and 144 university students in Canada and Turkey, respectively, and analyzed using PROCESS analysis. The results of the analyses revealed that the moderating role of health consciousness is significant in the food quality-purchase intention and price sensitivity-purchase intention relationships in both samples. Understanding these mechanisms is of substantive importance for managers and policymakers considering the growing prevalence of fast-food products in most developed and developing countries and their consumption by university students.

Consumer Behaviour Regarding Certified Food

“…Furthermore, many authors include the distribution of questionnaires as part of their research methodology, in certain cases concentrating only on specific demographic groups [30,47,48]. For example, Gultekin and Veuphuteh [49] created an online questionnaire for Canadian and Turkish university students to investigate the relationships between price sensitivity, perceived quality, and buying intention of fast-food products.…”

“…China has increased its concern regarding issues of social welfare and health conditions in recent decades due to various environmental and ecological problems [12]. Some authors studied the change in consumer behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of price sensitivity and perceived quality [6,49,57]. During emergencies, the attention of consumers towards food quality and their concerns regarding food security increase, posing a critical demand shock on the food market as consumers become more willing to pay a premium for quality food products.…”

“…During emergencies, the attention of consumers towards food quality and their concerns regarding food security increase, posing a critical demand shock on the food market as consumers become more willing to pay a premium for quality food products. Consequently, the number of certified products purchased increased post-pandemic [49].…”