49 research outputs found
Consumer Preferences for Pasture-Raised Animal Products: Results from Michigan
The pasture-based model of agriculture potentially offers opportunities for small- and medium-scale livestock producers in local, regional, and national markets. Our data indicate that many consumers value the attributes associated with locally produced pasture-raised products. We used ordered probit and binary probit analyses of these data to identify the demographic segments that showed the greatest interest in these attributes. This interest suggests a broad education and marketing effort to articulate salient attributes and to differentiate and increase the availability of these products in the marketplace.Demand and Price Analysis, Livestock Production/Industries,
âNudgingâ as an architect of more responsible consumer choice in food service provision: The role of restaurant menu design
The sector of food service provision generates substantial environmental and societal impacts. Environmental impacts are particularly pronounced in terms of carbon footprint build-up while societal impacts are reflected in often unhealthy food choice. These impacts should be minimised to facilitate progress of the sector towards sustainability. A significant share of the negative impacts from food service provision is attributed to irresponsible consumer choice which needs to be architected and made more society- and climate-benign. Customer ânudgingâ is an effective tool of consumer choice architecture and yet little research has examined its application within the context of private food service provision. This study set to better understand the determinants of consumer choice when dining out and how consumer choice could be reinforced to make it more beneficial from the sustainability viewpoint. To this end, the study reported on the outcome of a consumer survey conducted among visitors to a UK casual dining restaurant where menu design was employed as a customer ânudgingâ tool. The survey demonstrated that, next to price, food provenance and nutritional value determined consumer choice when dining out. This information should therefore be displayed on restaurant menus to enable educated, and more environment- and society-benign, food choice. While presenting the food carbon values on a menu was well perceived, some skepticism attached to their prospective use as a determinant of consumer choice was recorded. Recommendations were made on the design of the industry and policy-making interventions required to enhance the public appeal of this menu item
Restaurant menu design and more responsible consumer food choice: An exploratory study of managerial perceptions
The restaurant sector imposes substantial impacts on the environment and society. A large share of the sector's negative impacts is attributed to irresponsible consumer choice. To enhance sustainability of food service provision, consumer choice ought to be architected to make it more responsible. Restaurant menu can be (re-)designed to inform customers about the environmental and societal implications of their choice and thus ânudgeâ selection of more benign food options. This study explores managerial opinions on the role of menu design in shaping more responsible consumer choice. It finds that while restaurateurs acknowledge rising customer awareness about the ramifications of their food choice on personal health and the environment, they are sceptical about the use of menu design as a means to positively affect consumer choice. The lack of internal resources to implement and maintain the required menu changes, inconstant customer demand, organisational and operational complexities represent the key barriers
From single-use to multi-use:Study of consumersâ behavior toward consumption of reusable containers
This study advances the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to identify the mechanism that underlies the consumption of reusable containers. A questionnaire including context, motivation, subjective norms, attitudes, perceived behavioral control, intentions and behavior items was developed and pre-tested on 180 students in a Canadian and a Chinese university respectively. Subsequently, the questionnaire was implemented in the form of an online survey and 1221 effective responses were collected from Western (n = 549) and Asian (n = 672) consumers. The findings revealed that the context and motivation variables are important antecedents to several TPB constructs. Context strongly impacts perceived behavioral control and motivations as well as attitudes. Motivation is clearly distinct from intentions and has a significant influence on both attitudes and intentions. In addition to the standard variables of perceived behavioral control, subjective norms and attitudes, motivation does have a significant impact on intentions. Furthermore, there are cultural differences in the way context impacts intentions and behavior in that Asians (Westerners) are influenced by context to increase reusable containers consumption through motivation (attitudes). Attitude is a significantly stronger predictor of intentions for Westerners than Asians
Decision Support Framework for Developing Regional Energy Strategies
In an effort to reduce âcarbon
pollutionâ as well
as prepare the U.S. for the impacts of climate change, President Obamaâs
2013 Climate Action Plan calls for changes to be made to the nationâs
energy system. In addition to focusing on alternative portfolios of
different fuels and power-generation technologies, researchers and
advisory panels have urged that changes to the nationâs energy
system be based on a decision-making framework that incorporates stakeholders
and accounts for real-world resource, supply, and demand constraints.
To date, research and development on such a framework have proven
elusive. The research reported here describes the development and
test of a potential decision support framework that combines elements
from structured decision-making (SDM) with portfolio analysis, methods
that have been used independently to elicit preferences in complex
decision contexts. This hybrid framework aimed to (1) provide necessary
background information to users regarding the development of coupled
climate-energy strategies; (2) account for usersâ values and
objectives; (3) allow for the construction of bespoke energy portfolios
bounded by real-world supply and demand constraints; and (4) provide
a more rigorous basis for addressing trade-offs. Results show that
this framework was user-friendly, led to significant increases in
usersâ knowledge about energy systems and, importantly, led
to more internally consistent decisions. For these reasons, this framework
may serve as a suitable template for supporting decisions about energy
transitions in the United States and abroad
Consumer-perceived risks and choices about pharmaceuticals in the environment: a cross-sectional study
Background
There is increasing concern that pollution from pharmaceuticals used in human medicine and agriculture can be a threat to the environment. Little is known, however, if people are aware that pharmaceuticals may have a detrimental influence on the environment. The present study examines peopleâs risk perception and choices in regard to environmental risks of pharmaceuticals used in human medicine and for agricultural purposes.
Methods
A representative sample of the U.S. population (N = 640) was surveyed. Respondents completed a hypothetical choice task that involved tradeoffs between human and environmental health. In addition, it was examined how much people would support an environment policy related to drug regulation.
Results
For agricultural pharmaceuticals, respondents reported a high level of satisfaction for a policy requiring farms to limit their use of antibiotics. In the domain of pharmaceuticals used in human medicine, we found that people were willing to consider environmental consequences when choosing a drug, but only when choices were made about treatment options for a rather harmless disease. In contrast, when decisions were made about treatment options for a severe disease, the drugâs effectiveness was the most important criterion.
Conclusions
It can be concluded that the environmental impact of a drug will be hardly considered in decisions about pharmaceuticals for severe diseases like cancer, and this may be due to the fact that these decisions are predominantly affective in nature. However, for less severe health risks, people are willing to balance health and environmental considerations.ISSN:1476-069
Consumer Preferences for Pasture-Raised Animal Products: Results from Michigan
The pasture-based model of agriculture potentially offers opportunities for small- and medium-scale livestock producers
in local, regional, and national markets. Our data indicate that many consumers value the attributes associated with
locally produced pasture-raised products. We used ordered probit and binary probit analyses of these data to identify
the demographic segments that showed the greatest interest in these attributes. This interest suggests a broad education
and marketing effort to articulate salient attributes and to differentiate and increase the availability of these products
in the marketplace
Teaching Students to Make Better Decisions About the Environment: Lessons From the Decision Sciences
Gamifying Decision Support Systems to Promote Inclusive and Engaged Urban Resilience Planning
Urban residents are often unevenly vulnerable to extreme weather and climate events due to socio-economic factors and insufficient greenspace. This can be amplified if citizens are not meaningfully consulted in the planning and design decisions, with changes to greenspace having detrimental impacts on local communities, e.g., through green gentrification. These deficiencies can be addressed through inclusive landscape-level collaborative planning and design processes, where residents are fully engaged in the co-creation of urban greenspaces. A promising way to support co-creation efforts is gamifying technology-based interactive decision support systems (DSSs). Gamification, the incorporation of video game elements or play into non-game contexts, has previously been used for DSSs in urban planning and to inform the public about the impacts of climate change. However, this has yet to combine informational goals with design-play functionality in the redesign of urban greenspaces. We conducted a review of state-of-the-art video game DSSs used for urban planning engagement and climate education. Here, we propose that gamified DSSs should incorporate educational elements about climate change alongside the interactive and engaging elements of urban planning games, particularly for real-world scenarios. This cross-disciplinary approach can facilitate improved community engagement in greenspace planning, informing design and management strategies to ensure multiple benefits for people and the environment in climate-vulnerable cities