Determinants driving the purchase intention of organic food among university students in Ho Chi Minh City

Abstract

The concept of organic food has become familiar with Vietnamese consumers in recent years. Young consumers start to realize the importance of healthy eating habits and organic food. This study aims to explore the factors that may influence university students' intention to purchase organic food in Ho Chi Minh City. The design of the research and measuring scales were adjusted as part of the study utilizing qualitative method with in-depth interviews. A following quantitative data of 377 satisfactory samples was collected through online survey via Google Forms. The study team performed data analysis which includes reliability test, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), correlation, and regression using IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0. The findings indicate that there are six variables that influence university students' intents to buy organic food: (1) health consciousness; (2) food safety; (3) knowledge of organic food; (4) perceived behaviroral control; (5) constraints; and (6) environmental concerns. The study's findings indicate that, out of the eight variables, food safety and health consciousness have strongest effects on customers' purchasing intentions. Purchase intention can act as a good predictor of future organic food consumption, therefore the study presents insightful data for businesses, government and marketers to adapt business strategies to encourage organic food consumption among students in Ho Chi Minh City.