Go East: Differences between Poland and Western European Countries in the Motivational Structures Underlying Seafood Consumption

Abstract

Central Europe is an emerging market for seafood products, with rapidly developing opportunities for foreign direct investment and export. Although Poland in particular is widely regarded as a land of opportunity in the seafood business, surprisingly little effort has been made until now to gain a deeper understanding of the preferences, motives and usage patterns of Polish seafood consumers. The aim of the study was to fill this gap. Representative consumer samples from Poland (N = 1000) and four Western European countries (Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain; total N = 3800) were surveyed and compared in terms of the motivational structures underlying seafood consumption. In Poland, intentions to consume seafood in the near future were mainly determined by the perceived difficulty of preparing fish dishes (problems with bone handling and smells) and the degree to which consumers believed they had the necessary cooking skills. The preferences of consumers and their household members had a much weaker but still significant impact on intentions. In the comparison samples from Western Europe, motivational structures varied considerably. The highest degree of similarity with Poland was found in the Netherlands. Despite the variation between Western European countries, a common finding was a much higher consistency between intentions and actual consumption behavior as compared to Poland. The differences are discussed in terms of their implications for supply chain management, product supply, and the possibilities of generic promotion activities