Guidelines for stimulating consumer innovative behaviour

This report presents an overview of the Deliverable 1.3.1 to 1.3.9 of WP1.3 and, from their conclusions, derives guidelines for stimulating consumer innovative behaviour with respect to novel fruit products. First every deliverable is briefly introduced. Second the methods used in every deliverable are described and discussed. Third, some major conclusions from the different deliverables are summarized. Finally, lessoned learned from the research in WP1.3 and overall policy recommendations for future product development of fresh fruits and fruit products and communication strategies are formulated

Innovatief van nature? : impact van kennis uit de biologische sector

This report explores the innovative capacity of the organic sector and the relationship with farming. It also describes the impressions which organic and conventional farmers have about each other and the extent to which these impressions affect mutual knowledge exchange and use of each other's innovations. In view of the limited extent of the research, the report focuses on arable/ open air vegetable cultivatio

How pride and guilt guide pro-environmental behaviour

The world is currently confronted with environmental problems such as water pollution, loss of biodiversity, and air pollution. A promising way to reduce environmental problems is to encourage consumers towards more sustainable consumption patterns. Pro-environmental consumer choices involve a tradeoff between environmental motives and more personally related motives such as healthiness, convenience, and price. In this dissertation we explore how feeling good about oneself influences pro-environmental decision making. We focus on pride and guilt, which belong to the group of self-conscious emotions. Self-conscious emotions occur when individuals are aware of themselves and reflect on themselves in order to evaluate whether their behaviour is in accordance with their (personal and social) standards. In short, we explore the fundamental way in which pride and guilt guide pro-environmental behaviour via self-reflection. We propose that pride and guilt guide behaviour via a self-regulatory function, meaning that they provide feedback about how one is performing regarding one’s own standards and the perceived standards of others. The emotional feedback is used to guide oneself in accordance with these standards (i.e. self-regulation). Furthermore, we propose that the way one sees the self (who am I in relation to others), affects how individuals evaluate themselves, which in turn affects how pride and guilt are formed and guide behaviour. This thesis has both theoretical implications, as we increase understanding in the function of self-conscious emotions, and practical implications, as understanding the functions of pride and guilt in consumer decision making can be used to develop interventions to promote pro-environmental behaviour among consumers. For a thorough discussion of these implications we refer to the General Discussion. Below we provide a short overview of the findings of the individual chapters. Chapter 2 explores whether and how pride and guilt affect pro-environmental behaviour. Previous studies do not provide clear evidence regarding the effects of pride and guilt on subsequent pro-environmental behaviour. Acting or not acting in a pro-environmental way might induce feelings of pride and guilt respectively, which does not necessarily mean that these emotions guide future pro-environmental choices. Three studies show that pride, and to a lesser extent guilt, guide future pro-environmental choices. Chapter 2 additionally explores how pride and guilt affect pro-environmental behaviour. We propose that pride and guilt influence pro-environmental behaviour by providing information about whether the intended behaviour is in line with one’s standards, and not out of a basic tendency to feel good. Two studies show indeed that only related (endogenous) and not unrelated (exogenous) emotions affect pro-environmental behaviour. These findings imply that pride and guilt affect pro-environmental behaviour via a feedback-function and not via a basic mechanism to feel good. Chapter 3explores howpride and guilt affect pro-environmental behaviour via a feedback-function. Up until now it was not clear how these emotions guide behaviour. The function of pride and guilt is explored in two vested theories: the Norm Activation model (NAM) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Several researchers who use the NAM propose that anticipated pride and guilt are associated with personal norms. However, these researchers have specified the nature of this association in different ways (including direct effects, mediating effects, or moderating effects), and have rarely tested these proposed associations empirically. This chapter shows how the function of pride and guilt within the NAM can be specified. The results support a self-regulatory function of pride and guilt which shows that they mediate the effects of personal norms on pro-environmental behaviour. Anticipated pride and guilt thus guide individuals to behave themselves in accordance with existing standards regarding the environment (i.e. self-regulatory function). Moreover, we integrated the NAM with the TPB and show that the self-regulatory functions of pride and guilt remain present in an integrated NAM-TPB model (Bamberg et al., 2007). Pride and guilt mediate the effects of personal norms, attitudes, and injunctive social norms on intentions. Pride and guilt therefore seem to regulate individual behaviour regarding the environment so as to allow a person to be in accordance with one’s personal and social standards towards the environment. Chapter 4initially explores whether the self-regulatory functions of pride and guilt differ across personally oriented versus pro-socially oriented contexts. Previous studies that explore the self-regulatory function of self-conscious emotions within the TPB show mixed findings regarding the mediating effects of these emotions. This chapter distinguishes between injunctive and descriptive social norms and includes multiple contexts to explore whether this accounts for the mixed findings. Three survey studies show that anticipated pride and guilt regulate behavioural intentions to make them in accordance with attitudes and injunctive and descriptive social norms. Additionally, we show that the self-regulatory function of pride and guilt differs across contexts, which may account for the mixed findings of previous studies. We show preliminary evidence that anticipated self-conscious emotions have a larger mediating effect in altruistic (i.e. organic and fair trade consumption) rather than personally oriented (i.e. healthy consumption) contexts. InChapter 5 we explore whether the self-regulatory function of pride and guilt differs across collectivistic and individualistic countries. Based on previous studies (e.g., Mesquita, 2001), we suggest that the function of emotions might differ due to cultural differences in the construal of the self. We propose that the way one sees the self in relation to others (i.e. self-construal) affects the self-regulatory function of anticipated pride and guilt. Individualistic countries are overrepresented by individuals with a private self (i.e. independent self) meaning that the self encompasses unique individuals with their own personal goals. Collectivistic countries are overrepresented by individuals with a social self (i.e. interdependent self) meaning that the self encompasses family, friends, and important others, and a striving to reach group-based goals. We conducted a survey across eight collectivistic and individualistic countries. As expected the results show that there are no differences across countries in the self-regulatory function of anticipated pride and guilt withinindividualistic and withincollectivistic cultures, but that there are differences betweencollectivistic and individualistic cultures. Individuals from collectivistic countries use more social standards and less personal standards to anticipate pride and guilt. These findings provide a first indication that the function of emotions is more socially driven for individuals from collectivistic rather than individualistic cultures. These findings imply that cultural differences in the function of emotions are associated with cultural differences in self-construal (i.e. independent and interdependent self). Chapter 6explores whether the function of pride and guilt might also vary within individuals due to activating different construals of the self. Previous studies show that contextual cues can activate private versus social selves within an individual. We show that social media can also act as a contextual cue that activates the social self. Moreover, three experiments show that activating the social self increases the effects of guilt on pro-environmental intentions, whereas activating the private self increases the effects of pride on pro-environmental intentions. This finding implies that activating different construals of the self can increase the effects of emotions on intentions. Furthermore, we show that these effects occur because the activation of private versus social selves results in different self-evaluations. Activating the social self makes individuals more sensitive to social norms in self-evaluations that evoke emotions, whereas activating the private self makes individuals more sensitive to attitudes in self-evaluations that evoke emotions. The findings of this chapter imply that guilt is more social in nature than pride. Conclusion. The current thesis shows that pride and guilt guide pro-environmental consumer behaviour via a self-regulatory function. Pride and guilt occur after a self-reflection on personal and social standards related to the environment, and in turn they guide pro-environmental behaviour. This function differs when different employments of the self are activated or cultivated. Thus how one sees oneself through one’s own eyes and through the eyes of others affects the emotions that one experiences, and how these emotions affect subsequent pro-environmental intentions. </p

Consumer acceptance of novel fruits and fruit products

This report presents results of the consumer survey that was conducted in November, 2009, in four European countries – Poland, the Netherlands, Greece and Spain within WP 1.3 of ISAFRUIT Project. In the current deliverables (D1.3.5 and D1.3.8), the authors first focused on the influence of personal characteristics of the respondents, the evaluation of general fruit product characteristics, product evaluations of specific novel fresh fruits and fruit products and demographics on consumers' acceptance of fruit innovations. Furthermore, they identified cross cultural consumer segments, who each value different product characteristics. Moreover, these consumer segments differ in demographics, their willingness to accept fruit innovations and their personal characteristics. Policy recommendations for future product development of fresh fruits and fruit products and communication strategies were formulated, based on the results of the consumer survey and the identified cross cultural consumer segments

The development of a single-item Food Choice Questionnaire

Based on the multi-item Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) originally developed by Steptoe and colleagues (1995), the current study developed a single-item FCQ that provides an acceptable balance between practical needs and psychometric concerns. Studies 1 (N = 1851) and 2 (2a (N = 3290), 2b (N = 4723), 2c (N = 270)) showed that the single-item FCQ scale has good convergent and discriminant validity. Generally, the results showed the highest correlations with the related multi-item dimensions (>0.40). Study 2 refined the scale. Only the items for convenience (Study 2a), sensory appeal (Study 2b) and mood (Study 2c) needed to be revised (as Study 1 showed a correlation between the multi-item and the single-item below the threshold of 0.60). The results also showed comparable predictive validity. Both methods revealed similar association patterns between food motives and consumption behaviours (Fisher's z tests revealed agreements of 86.2% for Study 1, 92.9% for Study 2a and 100% for Studies 2b and 2c). Study 3 (N = 6062) showed an example of the added value of a context-specific application for the single-item FCQ. Different motives were shown to be relevant across contexts, and the context-specific motives had additional explained variance beyond the general multi-item FCQ. Studies 2b and 3 also showed the performance of the single-item FCQ in an international context. In sum, the results indicate that the single-item FCQ can be used as a flexible and short substitute for the multi-item FCQ. The study also discusses the conditions that should be considered when using the single-item scale

De Agrofoodmonitor: Maatschappelijke waardering van de Agro & Food sector

Deze Agrofoodmonitor beoogt de maatschappelijke waardering van de Agro & Food sector te definiëren, meetbaar te maken en aangrijpingspunten te identificeren die de waardering kunnen beïnvloeden. De aanleiding voor de agrofoodmonitor is de wens van de Agro & Food sector haar 'licence to operate' in Nederland te borgen en om duurzaam te groeien. Maatschappelijke waardering door burgers (consu-menten) is hiervoor een belangrijke voorwaarde. In deze monitor is maatschappelijke waardering gedefini-eerd als 'een houding tegenover de Agro & Food sector die positief of negatief kan zijn, en gebaseerd kan zijn op beredeneerde afwegingen en gevoelens'. Maatschappelijke waardering is een complex en dynamisch proces. Deze eerste meting van de Agro-foodmonitor is daarom ook een zoektocht naar de wijze waarop maatschappelijke waardering tot stand komt. Daarbij zijn ook onzekerheden, dilemma's en nieuwe vragen komen bovendrijven. Allereerst is een literatuurstudie uitgevoerd naar factoren die maatschappelijke waardering kunnen ver-klaren. Dit heeft geleid tot de ontwikkeling van een conceptueel model waarmee maatschappelijke waarde-ring kan worden geanalyseerd. Dit model is vervolgens vertaald in een vragenlijst waarmee maatschap-pelijke waardering en mogelijke verklarende factoren kunnen worden gemeten. De vragenlijst is voor-gelegd aan een representatieve steekproef van 3.290 respondenten. Omdat er tussen de agro-sectoren verschillen kunnen zijn in maatschappelijke waardering, evenals in factoren die bepalend zijn voor die maat-schappelijke waardering, is niet alleen de maatschappelijke waardering van de Agro & Food sector in zijn geheel gemeten, maar ook die van de afzonderlijke subsectoren: melkveehouderij, akkerbouw, tuinbouw, varkenshouderij, pluimveehouderij, supermarkten en voedingsmiddelenindustrie. Naast de kwantitatieve meting heeft er ook een kwalitatieve reflectie plaatsgevonden. Deze reflectie gaat dieper in op de thema's ambivalentie en strategische onwetendheid, omdat we vermoeden dat deze maatschappelijke waardering beïnvloeden. Deze reflectie is beschreven in het deelrapport Ambivalentie en strategische onwetendheid rond vlees

Eten van waarde : peiling consument en voedsel

This report provides a description of a scientifically-funded instrument that measures and explains the perceptions (or 'thoughts') and behaviours (or 'actions') of consumers with regards to food quality values. A description of its application is presented to generate insights into how modern Dutch consumers think about food, what Dutch consumers actually buy and the relationship between perceptions and behaviours

De Agrifoodmonitor 2014 : hoe burgers de Agri & Food sector waarderen

In dit rapport wordt de maatschappelijke waardering van de Agri & Food sector en zijn subsectoren gemeten. Ook wordt in kaart gebracht of de waardering van de Agri & Food sector is veranderd ten opzichte van 2012. Ten slotte wordt inzicht gegeven in de factoren die maatschappelijke waardering beïnvloeden en of deze factoren stabiel zijn over de tijd

Mogelijkheden en effectiviteit van apps voor communicatie met consumenten; De Veggipedia-case

LEI Wageningen UR was commissioned by Tuinbouw Digitaal to carry out a review of the literature on apps as a medium of consumer communication. Around the same time, we also conducted a qualitative consumer survey to determine the strengths of and the scope for improvement in Veggipedia, an app developed by the fruit and vegetable sector. The research findings resulted in recommendations to continue to develop Veggipedia into a reliable and versatile app that will encourage people to eat healthier, tastier, safer, seasonal, and more varied food