THE MEDIATING INFLUENCE OF DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS ON THE PURCHASE INTENTION OF ORGANIC FOOD AMONG ACADEMIC STAFF OF NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES

Authors

  • Okwudiri Nnanna_Ohuonu
  • Prof. Ireneus C. Nwaizugbo
  • Prof. Titus C. Okeke

Keywords:

demographic factors, organic food benefits, purchase intentions, subjective norms, barriers and challenges, awareness and information sources

Abstract

This research concerns the mediating influence of demographic factors on the purchase
intention of organic food among academic staff of Nigerian universities. Employing a
quantitative research methodology, this research collected data through structured
questionnaire distributed to a sample of 370 academic staff members across various
universities in south-east, Nigeria, achieving a response rate of 82.16% with 304 valid
responses. The research hypotheses were tested using statistical methods to assess direct
and indirect effects, with a significance threshold set at the 5% level. Our analysis revealed
several key findings. Firstly, there was a strong direct effect of attitudes towards organic
food benefits on purchase intentions, with a coefficient of 0.6764 and a 95% confidence
interval ranging from 0.6020 to 0.7509, indicating a robust positive influence. Furthermore,
demographic factors were found to mediate this relationship significantly, as evidenced by
an indirect effect of 0.0230 with a bootstrap confidence interval not including zero (0.0067
to 0.0461). Similarly, motivations for purchasing organic food displayed a direct negative
impact on purchase intentions (coefficient -0.3857, 95% confidence interval from -0.4870
to -0.2843) and were also significantly mediated by demographic factors, showing an
indirect effect of -0.0403. The study also established the significant influence of subjective
norms and awareness and information sources on purchase intentions, with respective
coefficients of 0.2726 and -0.3492. In both cases, demographic factors served as a
significant mediator, enhancing our understanding of how individual characteristics
intersect with cultural and social influences to affect behavioural outcomes in organic food
markets. Barriers and challenges related to sourcing organic food emerged as another
critical factor positively influencing purchase intentions, demonstrated by a direct effect
coefficient of 0.3485 and confirmed mediation by demographic factors (indirect effect
0.0485). This finding suggests that overcoming such barriers may significantly boost
organic food consumption among this demographic. These findings underscore the necessity
for targeted educational campaigns and institutional support to navigate the identified
barriers effectively and foster a more sustainable consumption pattern among academics.

Author Biographies

  • Okwudiri Nnanna_Ohuonu

    Department of Marketing, Abia State University, Uturu

  • Prof. Ireneus C. Nwaizugbo

    Department of Marketing, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka

  • Prof. Titus C. Okeke

    Department of Marketing, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka

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Published

2024-11-25

How to Cite

THE MEDIATING INFLUENCE OF DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS ON THE PURCHASE INTENTION OF ORGANIC FOOD AMONG ACADEMIC STAFF OF NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES. (2024). Journal of the Management Sciences, 61(7), 235-257. https://journals.unizik.edu.ng/jfms/article/view/4645

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