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A Netnographic Study of Health-Conscious Food Consumption in the Digital Era
19-38Views:1067Health-conscious lifestyles and the consumption of foods which are considered healthy are becoming increasingly important globally and domestically. Thanks to digitisation, the consumer has a wide range of new and innovative ways to obtain useful information. Social media and its elements have reformed access to information over the past decade. The main objective of our research was to assess the impact of digitisation on healthy food consumption. In this article, we analysed particular social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram and Youtube) with a netnographic observation and examined the role of influencers in health-conscious food consumption. During secondary research, we clarified basic definitions and analysed recent and near-term trends. In the primary research, the netnographic survey was conducted in two sessions (September and October 2018 and December 2019). The aim was to broaden the research while comparing the results of the two observation sessions. Only Hungarian language sites were used for our observations. We analysed the Facebook pages and groups related to healthy eating. For the terms related to the topic under study (e.g., “healthy lifestyle” and “conscious eating”), we identified the same pages in most cases. So a given page has appeared for more than one search term. The creators of the groups typically include 4-5 keywords in the title at a time. We have analysed the number of hashtags with and without accents associated with health-conscious, free-from and plant-based nutrition. The majority of the analysed hashtags showed a tendency for their accented variants to grow more than non-accented ones in the past year. In addition, we systematized the Hungarian influencers with Youtube channel in the research topic. Based on the results, it can be stated that relatively few influencers operate a channel with a higher number of subscribers in the fields of healthy eating and healthy lifestyle. To sum up, the mention of healthy lifestyle in social media is complex and it is not tightened to health-conscious food consumption.
JEL Classification: M31
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Analysis of the Values of Sustainable Development and the Health Conscious Lifestyle Among Secondary School Students
41-62Views:453Health, together with the social- and natural environment has become the most important and core value recently. The current research would like to explore the presence of sustainable development related values and the elements of health consciousness among the consumption behaviour of secondary school students. The aim of the first part is to provide an overview of conscious consumption, sustainable development and the literal researches connected to this particular generation. In the second part of the work, we present the results of a research made between April 2015 and 2016 involving 1 002 students of 13 institutions. During the selection, we kept in mind to choose institutions of all different profiles (human, sport, art, general) and different types (grammar school, vocational high school, technical school). During creating the questionnaire, the basis of the questions and statements since was the consumption trends that can be found in the literature sources as well. We analysed the data with the help of frequency indicators together with factor- and cluster analyses. During the primary examinations, we identified five factors that were created along with the values of the following behaviours: trend-following individualistic, health- and environmental conscious, authentic patriot, altruistic-ethical and business ethical. With the help of them, we could name four well-divided groups after the cluster analysis, where the values of the created factors can be realised at different rates. The groups were the Trend-avoiding Conscious, the Responsibility-blamers, the Passive “freshmen” and the Conscious individualists. The first group can be related to the trends of voluntary simplicity, whereas the fourth segment shows a strong similarity to the values of the LOHAS consumer group. These groups – and their different socio-demographic features – raise the attention to the fact that knowledge, messages and examples-to-follow are worth conveying with a differentiated marketing communicational strategy. This secondary school generation undertakes their connection to the particular sustainable and health conscious values, and – at least in a theoretical field – the majority of the students admit their responsibility in shaping the environment and their own health. In the case of conscious consumption, the peculiarities of this generation (digital, “Always on” generation) demand a quite new communicational approach in transporting messages and possibilities of act.
JEL codes: A13, D70, I12, Q56
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Investigating the Coffee Consumption Habits
59-70Views:2227Coffee consumption is a widespread activity nowadays all around the world. It is a very popular beverage, with many variants as are known. Caffeine can cause many effects in our bodies. These include health benefits and adverse effects. According to 2018 data, the annual per capita coffee consumption in Hungary was 3.1 kilograms, making it the 24th largest coffee consumption country in the world. The aim of the research was to reveal the coffee consumption habits at the domestic level, based on the results of a questionnaire survey based on secondary data collection. In our research, we have also placed great emphasis on examining the beneficial and harmful health effects of coffee consumption. Our further goal is to explore whether domestic consumers are aware of the health effects of coffee consumption. Our hypothesis, defined in connection with our research, was, “Those people who frequently consume coffee are unaware of the health effects of coffee”. As a first step in our research we made a secondary data collection and our second step was the primary data collection. The basis of our primary research was the questionnaire we prepared, which was shared online. The size of the examined sample is 1 664 people. The sample population does not statistically represent the population of Hungary, therefore we do not consider the survey to be representative, the results are only exploratory. Based on our research, we found out that although most of the people who consume coffee often are aware of the beneficial and harmful health effects of coffee, this is mainly true for women, but less so for men. Men are more likely to know only the harmful effects. Our results have shown that those who are aware of all the health-affecting properties of coffee are not more conscious of the amount of coffee consumed than those who are unaware of only the good, bad, or both of the properties.
JEL Codes: A13, P56
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Examining of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among the Hungarian Consumers
79-89Views:603The importance of fruit and vegetable consumption is emphasized by promotions, recommendations, and domestic and foreign researches. According to the results of Hungarian research, consumers with high education and high income are the fastest to commit to a healthy lifestyle (of which regular consumption of fruit and vegetables is an integral part). The present study examines fruit and vegetable consumption through focus group interviews examining two distinct segments; full-time undergraduate students as well as full-time adults. The reason for choosing the two segments was based on the literature, according to which lifestyle research shows that the supportive family financial background of students helps to make this segment more health-conscious, while full-time adults with higher education and income are also more health-conscious consumers. Based on the results of interviews with six groups – three with students and three with full-time adults – it can be stated that among the participants the reasons for consuming fruit and vegetables are health awareness, and in many cases the family pattern is a determining, moreover important aspect that vegetables and fruits are very much loved. However, despite their commitment to a healthy lifestyle and fruit and vegetable, most of them have never heard of fruit and vegetable promotions. As a result of the focus group research, it can also be observed that income is a determining factor, especially in the face of rising prices. In addition to consumption patterns, the research also addressed the issue of branding, the results of which suggest that geographical indications are still more important than the creation of a stand-alone brand name.
JEL Classification: I12, P46
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The Examination of Markets of Organic Foods
45-50Views:261Nowadays the consumption of organic foods has an outstanding importance from the aspects of health and environmental consciousness. In this study the habits of organic food consumption in Debrecen are examined by the help of a questionnaire-based survey and a personal interview. On the basis of our results the supply of organic foods in the local markets satisfies the requirement of the consumers, and this tendency is expected to be maintained for the future. The most popular products are vegetables, fruits, dairy products, meat and honey. Generally the consumers are very satisfied with these products. Most of the buyers choose organic foods not only because these products are healthy, but for the fact that they are aware of the environmental- friendly technology by which the production happens. Consumers visiting the markets buy organic foods mainly at a weekly occasion, thus their consumption is conscious, and the healthy way of life is relevant for them. Many people do not know that there are such markets in Debrecen, in this way the promotion of these places is outstandingly important.
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The Characteristics of the LOHAS Segment, the Consumer Group which is Devoted to Sustainable Consumption
3-9Views:623Sustainable consumption is a megatrend influencing consumer habits today. Our research was carried out to find out information – with the help of international and national literature – about the general and differentiating characteristics and the size of the consumer group devoted to sustainable consumption. Our aim was also to sum up the economic importance of the segment. This “new type” of consumer-buyer group is called LOHAS (Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability) by professionals. An important feature of the segment is that they consider all the three pillars of sustainable development (economic, social and ecological) in their shopping decisions. LOHAS consumers live their life health-consciously. Their devotion to sustainability is reflected in purchasing environmental-friendly, socially responsible products. Besides this, it can also be claimed about them that they are early adopters and they are able to influence the opinion of their friends and family. They are less price-sensitive, and they are characteristically brand-loyal. These characteristics make them the attractive target of a lot of marketing activities. It is hard to describe the LOHAS lifestyle only with demographic features since their devotion to sustainable consumption is determined by mostly personal values and the individual’s value order. LOHAS lifestyle has five, well defined value categories that direct the individuals’ behavior. They are authentic values, health-conscious values, ethic values, individualist values and environmental-conscious values. The LOHAS group is also characterized by such a hybrid lifestyle in which different characteristics merge with each other. The LOHAS “phenomenon” is mostly characteristic of the western world, but it is becoming widespread in the Asian region’s consumer society. In the developed countries the size of the group may reach 25%. For today the approach and value order characterizing the LOHAS consumer’s lifestyle have appeared within the Hungarian population as well. Hungarian researchers estimate the size of this group different – between 4 and 30% – depending on the values expected during segmentation. The LOHAS trend influences all the branches of economy calling companies for innovation that meets the needs of the consumers who prefer hybrid lifestyle, and for environmental and social responsibility. However, the strongest influence appears in the food industry. It is worth mentioning that some members of the tertiary sector have also realized the opportunities lying behind them. Besides the economic importance of the LOHAS consumer group, it is important to mention that their inner values and views envisage a healthier society and a cleaner and more livable environment.
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Impact of Personal Values on the Change of Health Behaviour and the Conscious Food Purchase
57-71Views:633Major aim of the examination is to reveal relationships between personal values, the switch to the health conscious nutrition method, and the food consumer behaviour based on the value list by Kahle (LOV). In order to attain this goal a nationwide representative survey was conducted in Hungary with the participation of 1000 persons. According to the results the most important value for the population is safety that is followed by the need for fun and enjoyment in life. During the analysis of the value list a factor structure – different from the standard – was revealed that formed the base of the segmentation. Four consumer segments were identified, the Value oriented, the Moderately value driven, the Safety seeker, and the Disappointed segments.
The Value oriented segment can be considered as the primary target group of health protecting foods as members of this group moved to the direction of more health conscious consumption and in parallel of more health conscious food purchase to the greatest extent (18.5%). The second group showing significant changes is the Safety seekers that suggests that the extent of the value orientation significantly affects the behavior, i.e. food purchase and food consumption independently of its content. The value content provides information to the development of the content elements of the marketing strategy and the marketing message for the producers of health protecting foods. -
Opportunities and Obstacles in the Healthy Food Consumption Area
65-76Views:473The issue of healthy food consumption is an extremely hot topic in today’s fast-paced world. One of today’s ruler trends are the health awareness and health market expansion. The role of the health of consumers is appreciated. People spend more and more to preserve their health. The consequence of conscious consumption is that individuals can keep their physical and mental activity for a longer time remaining their life and accordingly they can be involved in the economic growth. Our central hypotheses were that the financial situation, the level of consciousness and „identity” have a decisive influence on women who assume a healthy eating habit in Hungary. We also presumed a link between health consciousness and financial attitudes, as well as a positive relationship between health consciousness and behavioral intent and normative beliefs. Our results confirm: the income status and the degree of awareness mostly influence the existence of a healthy diet.
JEL codes: E21, H31, H51
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Investigation of Active Sport Consumption around the Students of Faculty of Economics, University of Debrecen
57-65Views:434Physical activity and maintaining health are becoming increasingly important to people around the world today. The growth of physical activity in the last ten years can be detected both at the domestic and European Union level. People today spend more and more time on active and passive sports activities. This is especially true for the younger generation, who are increasingly engaging in active physical activity in their spare time, with the main goals of maintaining and maintaining health, achieving a balanced lifestyle, developing well-being and relieving stress. To achieve all this, in addition to physical activity, increased attention must be paid to nutrition as well. During our research, we examined the active sports consumption habits of university students. Various statistical methods were used to process the data, such as mean, median, mode, standard deviation, distribution, Chi2 independence test, principal component analysis, factor analysis, and variance analysis. It can be stated that it is important for students to maintain their physical health. An active, health-conscious lifestyle plays a significant role in maintaining physical and mental health, which was supported by our results.
JEL-Codes: I10, I12, I19 -
Forms of Conscious Consumption
73-80Views:543Globalization and its effects can be found almost everywhere. Among the effects of globalization the improvement of international trade, the technological progress, the increasing influence of multinational companies, the strengthening power and influence of international institutions such as the WTO, IMF, and World Bank, greater mobility of human resources across countries, greater outsourcing of business processes to other countries have to be pointed out. As one of the results of globalisation we can buy even such products that have been produced somewhere on the other side of the world. It is not always clear for the consumers where, how and by whom the product has been produced. For conscious consumers the information provided on the packaging of the product, labels, trademarks can help a lot when making their purchasing decision. Of course there are several other ways to collect the necessary information. For these consumers the origin of the product, the producer, the production process, the ingredients, the environmental and social impacts of the production, as well as ethical concerns are really important questions.
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Testing for Consumer Preferences of Smoked Asian Sea Bass (Barramundi) Filet Products in Hungary
21-36Views:279The present paper discusses the findings of primary research studies related to the development of smoked fish fillet made of the barramundi fish species into a functional food, connected to product tasting. The study sought to provide information for the target audience, in our case, for consumers in hypermarkets on (1) their certain fish consumption habits, (2) their attitudes towards conscious fish consumption, (3) the reputation of the barramundi brought to the domestic market recently and the related considerations of consumers, and (4) consumers’ perceptions of the latest product development, smoked barramundi enriched with substances of positive nutritional effects (e.g. vitamin complex, pumpkin-seed oil, Gingko biloba extract, Sylibum marianum oil, etc.) Our findings suggest that consumers’ perceptions of the barramundi were positive as they positioned this fish species as an attractive, premium category product. The product development, i.e. the smoked barramundi fillet, as a functional food, was well received by consumers. The target audience had already tasted smoked fish earlier, and they were satisfied with the taste of the new premium product. It is important to stress that the respondents lacked a good understanding of the meaning of “functional foods”; however, they agreed with such kind of product developments. They mostly appreciated the components of functional foods with positive and preventive effects on heart and eye health. On the basis of the research it can be concluded that product development is on the right track, it fulfils all the habits, expectations and demands of the target audience related to fish consumption.
JEL codes: Q13, P46
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Environmental Awareness of Generations and Sustainable Product Development: The Way towards a Green Future
45-57Views:549Environmental protection is one of the most significant challenges of our time, becoming increasingly urgent due to the growing population and consumption. This study examines the environmental awareness of different generations, particularly Generation Z, and highlights gender differences. The online questionnaire survey analyzed the opinions of 427 respondents living in the Northern Great Plain region, of whom 367 belonged to Generation Z (148 men, 219 women) and 57 to Generations X and Y. The study also investigated Generation Z's attitudes toward activities aimed at mitigating climate change, with comparisons across genders and generations. On a 1-to-5 Likert scale (1 = not important at all, 5 = extremely important), Generation Z ranked selective waste collection (average = 4.37), avoiding food waste (average = 4.21), and conscious energy use (average = 4.17) as the most important. Women rated environmentally conscious activities, such as using recycled paper and choosing products with less packaging, significantly higher than men (p ≤ 0.05). Comparative analysis showed that Generations X and Y considered nearly all climate protection activities more important than Generation Z (p ≤ 0.05), likely due to higher levels of knowledge about energy-saving solutions. Education and family environment play a key role in shaping environmental values. Despite generational differences, Generation Z also prioritizes waste reduction and considers climate protection aspects in their purchasing decisions. The study additionally presents the development of a sustainable soft drink that incorporates environmental considerations and offers an innovative packaging solution to minimize waste.
JEL code: Q01 -
The Consumer Behavior of Volunteer Simplifiers Special Reference to Dietary Habits
81-85Views:240This paper introduces voluntary simplifier consumers who freely limit their consumption; freely purchase less than the average consumers. They refuse the logic of the consumer society, and choose an anticonsumer lifestyle that features environmental, social and economic sustainability. According to the international literature the concept of voluntary simplicity will be defined; the types/stages, main motives and influence factors of this frugal lifestyle will be presented. Since the inhabitants of the strictly regulated eco-villages can be regarded as voluntary simplifiers, we extended our research to eco-villages. With exploratory goal we examine two eco-villages’ webpages searching for information about their dietary habits.
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The Investigation of Sustainable Values among the Students of the University of Debrecen
3-20Views:609The aim of the research was to define sustainable values among the students of the University of Debrecen. We analysed the lifestyle of two sustainable consumption groups, the LOHAS (Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability) and the LOVOS (Lifestyle of Voluntary Simplifiers). As a first step, connection points were being looked for between the LOHAS and the LOVOS segments with the assistance of the literature review. Secondly, a questionnaire-based survey was carried out involving 298 students of the University of Debrecen. In this step appearance of sustainable values was analysed using factor analysis both for LOHAS and LOVOS segments separately. Next, we made a value-based lifestyle segmentation of the students with the assistance of hierarchical analysis in the case of the LOHAS segment and k-means analysis in the case of the LOVOS segment. According to the results, four value-based segments could be distinguished in both the LOHAS and the LOVOS groups. In the case of the LOHAS consumer group, the ambitious trend followers (the cluster size was 25.1% of the asked students) reflect the characteristics of the LOHAS consumers’ lifestyle to the greatest extent. In the case of the LOVOS consumer group, the most dedicated cluster was the conscious simplifiers (the cluster size was 34.55% of the asked students). However, this segment does not entirely reflect all the values of the LOVOS consumers’ lifestyle, so further research is necessary in the future.
JEL codes: A13, Q56, D70
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The Most Expensive Bites – Food Waste among University Students in Debrecen
59-75Views:417The scale, importance and consequences of food waste are a much-studied topic, as they contribute greatly to resource wastage and environmental damage. Research at the University of Debrecen aimed to explore the factors behind food waste, with a particular focus on the habits of university students. While the overall level of food waste is well documented worldwide, research on specific population groups, such as university students, has only recently received attention. University students represent a unique demographic group due to their particular life rhythm, limited financial means and more in-depth knowledge. In the framework of the research, a survey was conducted among the students of the University of Debrecen in the academic year 2023/2024 to find out their knowledge and habits related to food waste. The aim of the survey is to highlight opportunities to reduce waste and contribute to more sustainable consumption patterns. The survey was voluntary and consisted of 133 questions in several groups of questions. After data cleaning, the present study is based on the responses of 618 students. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 29.0. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-test were conducted and Chi-square test was used at 5% level of significance. K-means clustering algorithm was used to group respondents based on their estimated individual food waste in kilograms and their household or national average food waste. In addition to this, PCA (Principal Component Analysis) analysis was applied. There was a significant difference between genders, with women typically wasting less food than men, there was no difference in wastage between income groups, but there was for the principal components based on attitudes, with those of modest income typically being more financially conscious, while those of above average income were less characterized by planning and more characterized by environmentalism. There was also a significant difference by education level, with lower educated individuals being more receptive to discounts and higher educated individuals scoring higher on the environmental principal component.
JEL Codes: D12, Q18, Q 53, Q56 -
Beliefs and Misbeliefs About Plant-Based Diet Relying on the Results of an Online Research
65-77Views:869A main current trend is healthy lifestyle and the consumption of fruit and vegetables. The assessment of healthiness of plant-based diet is not so obvious either among the population or food experts. In an online survey the knowledge, beliefs and misbeliefs about plant-based diet were analysed among members and non-members of online social media lifestyles groups. All in all, it can be stated that there are no significant relationships and differences between knowledge, attitude and perception of members and non-members. Social media users are aware of the different types of plant-based diet (vegetarian, vegan) and the positive and negative psychological effects. The associations connected to plant-based diet are the following: healthy, environmentally friendly and expensive. Only a small segment of Hungarian people follow plant-based diet. At the same the diverse and everyday consumption of fruit and vegetables is essential because of health and sustainability issues. Due to conscious nutrition and more plant-based diet, people can contribute to the protection of their own health and the Earth.
JEL Classification: M31
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The Price of Health – The Consumption and Purchasing Patterns of Foods with Special Attention to Price
3-16Views:577The economic events of recent years (war, the COVID epidemic) have had a significant impact on our daily life, including our consumer and shopping habits. The main aim of this research is to examine how food consumption and purchasing habits have changed in response to price changes, particularly for foods perceived to be healthy. Two focus group surveys were conducted to explore consumer habits on this topic. The period covered by the research was the consumer prices in April 2022 and April 2023. Our research explored general food purchasing habits and consumer motivations. We examined the extent to which products that participants perceived as healthy were purchased online, and the impact of price changes on the demand for health-conscious foods and on consumers' brand loyalty. We also looked at the online price monitoring system, where we mapped consumer adoption and the consumer benefits that the system provided. One of our key achievements is to identify a growing consumer awareness, with more and more people choosing quality, expertise and choice over convenience and price. The types of consumer responses identified in the EUROPA.EU research was in terms of products perceived as healthy in the wake of the price rise, although the proportions have shifted significantly; many are looking for alternatives, seeking substitutes for products; and fewer are the concern-averse, loyal consumers and the well-off but not engaged. Price sensitivity is increasing as a result of recent sustained price rises, with a small proportion of people who are not concerned. There is also a low proportion of emotional comfort seekers, a group largely confined to high-income consumers. For those who are not aware of the price of products, there is no change in brand loyalty and no brand abandonment, but for those who are price-aware, there is a tendency to switch between brands.
JEL-CODES: I12, M31, M38
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Interpretation of Health-conscious Food Consumption Behavior on the Basis of LOHAS Concept
39-46Views:556In our study, the information search behavior of sustainability committed consumer group is analyzed. Furthermore, consumer opinions about nutrition labels on food packaging are highlighted. According to the international literature, LOHAS (Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability) group is the most committed consumer segment to sustainability.
Exploration of Hungarian sustainability committed consumer groups’ opinion about food labels is supported by the closing part of a research chain which was started in 2010. This, last research was carried out in 2012, where, with the aid of quota sampling, Trend followers’ and Unconcerned’s judgment on food labels was investigated. The quota and the two mentioned groups were formed on the basis of a national representative research, which was performed in 2011. Information search behavior was evaluated according to the structure of Grunert-Wills’ information search model. In this study we focus on our research results, which connect to the last two steps (understanding, interferences and use) of the mentioned model.
Goal of this research is to investigate in a practical aspect of information search behavior of domestic sustainability committed consumer group (“Trend followers”) in connection with food labels proving health effects of foodstuffs. Four hypotheses were defined to reach our goal:
H1: Among health information on food packaging, labels stating energy value, are getting a higher influencing role in food purchasing process, where conscious consumer groups have a deeper knowledge about the objective meaning of food labels.
H2: Consumer knowledge about objective meaning of food labels is getting a highlighted role in formation of brand loyalty.
H3: Trust has an essential role in consumer acceptation of food labels, where common qualifier activity of different organizations (state, profit and nonprofit area) come into the front.
H4: Correct understanding of food labels has a positive influencing effect on acceptation of higher prices and on real use of food labels during food purchasing.
One- and multivariate analysis and cross table analysis were calculated to investigate our assumptions. In the closing part of our study, three practical recommendations are defined, which relate to follows: optimization of communication strategy of food industries, way of introduction of new food labels and need of objective guidance of consumers about food information. -
Attitudes of Alternative Diet Followers Towards Purchasing Local Products
3-15Views:734Earth’s population has been growing steadily over the last centuries, with increasing demand for food production. For this reason, despite the current technological progress, even more and more cultivated lands are needed. The purpose of our research is to examine the proportion of local products that are being used by those who follow different alternative diets, which can also be used to test the behaviour towards sustainability. In order to reach our goals, we have developed a national survey including 504 Hungarian consumers. The survey consists of several questions about alternative diets, food-oriented lifestyle, and local products. The answers were weighted in order to properly represent the gender distribution of the population and were analysed using descriptive statistics and factor analysis. According to the results, environmental conscious behaviour appears among the alternative diet followers, but for sustainability this is not a sufficient condition. Local products are bought by 82.9% of the respondents. The biggest incentives of buying local products are the origin, the support of local producers / merchants, the reduction of food kilometres, the healthy and natural characteristics of the products, and the positive experiences with local products. In contrast, the reasons why local products are mostly refused by consumers are the facts that they are time consuming and difficult to obtain.
JEL codes: C38, D70, I12, M31, Q56
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Specific Features of Health Awareness for 11-17-Year-Old Hungarian Students After the Millennium Based on Hbsc Research Data – Literature Review
33-44Views:1060The aim of this study is to present the health behaviour of 11-17-year-old Hungarian students. In connection with this topic we analyzed international and Hungarian articles based on primer researches and the results of a Hungarian survey as part of an international research, namely „The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children” (HBSC). The aim of the research is to monitor health related habits and health status of 11-17-year-old students, to track temporal and international trends of survey results, and to explore factors influencing health indicators. In this study we present the results of health promoting (nutrition, physical activity) and health compromising behaviours (smoking, alcohol consumption) and their characteristic changes based on five recent surveys (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018). During this study, we made a document analysis based on the previous Hungarian research results. The results showed a prosperous scheme, which predicts a slow but steady positive change, however there is still a long way to go. The biggest problem in the way of life of these children is the lack of conscious behaviour. Most of these children are not aware of the consequences of their lifestyle on their health.
JEL Codes: I12 -
Awareness and Effect of CSR on Consumer Decisions
15-27Views:501Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a common topic, both at national and international levels. Profit maximisation is essential for companies, but they should not forget the social and environmental impacts of their activities. The question of sustainability is also a common topic requiring examination. The future of the Earth, our natural resources and the generations that will come after us also impact on the responsibilities of companies. For many companies, this kind of responsibility is natural and they take such CSR and sustainable steps that are worth following. From modern society, there is a high expectation and even strong pressure on companies to conduct responsible business practice. The number of responsible companies is increasing due to this pressure. What do we mean by CSR? What sorts of activities and steps are covered by CSR? What are the motivators of the CSR strategies, CSR activities of companies? What are their reasons? Many researchers investigate the motivators of CSR. From them, opinion on the company, image of the company, “consumers will prefer us”, are among the most frequent ones. However, are the CSR actions of companies appreciated by consumers? The results of many researchers demonstrate that they are not appreciated. In general, responsible business practise is a high expectation from consumers, but when purchasing a product, this aspect is one of the least important factors. The aim of this paper is to collect some of the most relevant research findings on CSR, to introduce the informedness of Hungarian respondents on CSR in general, to find out the main influencing factors of their purchasing decisions, and also find correlations between the received results and the demographic variables based on our primary research. Our results support the present practice in terms of the definition of CSR. Almost all the listed alternatives are strongly associated with CSR by the respondents. The highest average received for the “creating workplaces, employment” alternative indicates the importance of this activity. Regarding the different factors influencing purchasing decision, our results underline the importance of price and price value ratio. This research finding is in line with other research findings, which shows that CSR actions of companies, responsible business practice is not the number one influencing factor of actual consumer decision.
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Overall Introduction of the Fair Trade Initiative
35-43Views:300Fair trade is a bottom-up initiative whose objective is to make reasonable conditions for the poor producers of the Third World and to enable them to follow a sustainable model of development. This realigned commercial partnership aims to modify the rules of traditional international trade between the producers of the southern nations and the purchasers of the northern hemisphere, and to replace them with a novel alternative. The goal of fair trade is to change the rules of the game that have controlled the dominant economic model. The main tool of the movement is the development of an awareness of socially responsible consumer behavior.
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Investigating the Dietary Practice of Students at the University of Debrecen
39-50Views:1299Nowadays, the importance of food in the preservation and restoration of health has become more and more important, as the number of people suffering from diabetes, cardiovascular disease and various food allergies is increasing. In many cases, there is a problem with what is the recommended range of foods, and what is (the meaning of) a healthy and health-conscious diet. The focus of our study is on the nutritional habits of young university students, as the health consciousness of this age group plays a prominent role at both domestic and international level. The primary purpose of the research is to map the daily dietary habits university students in Debrecen to the recommendations of the nutritional pyramid of dietary nutrition and good nutrition created by dietitians. The basis of our primary study was the observational procedure by creating a food diary and fill it with the randomly chosen students, during which we could observe the quality and quantity of food consumed by them during their daily meals. On the basis of the results, the dietitians expected and actual food consumption in the case of the target group were able to compared, on the basis of which it can be concluded that the eating habits of the university students of Debrecen fall short of the healthy eating recommendation.
JEL Codes: A13, P56
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The Size and Characteristics of the LOHAS Segment in Hungary
11-30Views:820Until the 1990s, those exchange processes were in the focus of marketing in which the producers had the bargaining power in their hands. After realizing the limited sources and the natural challenges at the beginning of the twenty-first century, today marketing experts are interested in global issues like sustainable development and sustainable consumption. The aim of our research was to define the size of the Hungarian LOHAS consumer group by analysing its lifestyle based on sustainable values. This has been achieved in three steps. At first, the appearance of sustainable values was analysed using factor analysis. Secondly, we made the value-based lifestyle segmentation of the Hungarian consumers with the help of k-means analysis, and finally, with further segmentation, we estimated the size of the consumer group that is the most devoted to LOHAS values. In order to achieve the set objective, a nationwide representative questionnaire-based survey was carried out involving 1000 people in Hungary. During the value-orientated research, 25 lifestyle statements were drawn up. The 25 statements were grouped around 5 aspects which were the following: environmental consciousness, health consciousness, ethical values, authentic values and individualism. Results reveal that in the value order of Hungarian consumers, the characteristics showing in the direction of sustainability are present and they are separated in six value categories. They are individualist values, authentic values, environmental consciousness, ethical (competence) values, health consciousness and ethical (corporate) values. From among the value dimensions, authentic values, health and environmental consciousness, as well as ethical corporate behaviour are especially important to Hungarian consumers. According to our results five value-based segments could be separated which are Uninvolved elderly people (16.4%), Young trend followers (32.1%), Young environmentally conscious people (18.6%), Ethical traditionalists (22.6%) and also Disappointed pessimists (10.3%). The biggest cluster, the group of Young trend followers, reflects the characteristics of the LOHAS consumers’ lifestyle the most. Yet, this segment cannot entirely be regarded a consumer group devoted to LOHAS values. The biggest heterogeneity can be observed based on the ethical (competence) values of Young trend followers, and a further segmentation of this group was considered necessary to be able to ascertain the rate of the most devoted LOHAS consumers. The third sub-cluster that overestimates the ethical (competence) statements the most can be identified with the LOHAS consumer group. Based on the results of our research, their rate is 8.7% within the Hungarian population. Further research is necessary to find out whether the situation of value orientation in the other Eastern European countries is similar to that in Hungary, where the social and the cultural backgrounds show many similarities.
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Examination of the Young Athletes’ Eating Habits
79-88Views:834Nowadays, movement and maintaining health are becoming more and more prominent in both public life and the scientific world. In connection with this, we can meet many scientific developments and new recommendations. In the present research, we examined young athletes, primarily in terms of their eating habits, as the compilation of a proper diet contributes greatly to the ability of athletes to achieve the best possible results. The aim of the secondary search was to get acquainted with the young athletes’ health-consciousness behavior and eating habits. The primary search consisted of an online-, and paper based questionnaire as well. As far as data analysis is concerned, we only considered data given by the targeted segment of the respondents, which falls between the age of 15 and 35. For statistical analysis we used descriptive statistics and crosstabs procedure. The results revealed that the majority of the athletes eat 3-5 times a day both in preparation and competiton period. Furthermore, the overwhelming majority of athletes find conscious eating important, however, they did not find either the consumption of different health protecive or disease preventive food important. They also do not follow the latest trends in connection with sportfood.
JEL Classification: M31, H12, Z2
