Abstract:
Comprising the largest population cohort on this planet, Gen Z presents a future-oriented consumer segment driven by climate change and food. This study sought to investigate Gen Z\'s perceptions toward plant-based foods and diets and explore the relationship that attitude components, meal preparation involvement, personal and lifestyle factors, and perceived barriers in adopting a plant-based diet have with willingness to adopt green-eating practices. Using cross-sectional data from university students in Greece, India, and the UK, various tools were employed to determine the factors influencing youths\' consumer behavior toward animal-protein substitutes. PCA indicated the underlying dimensions of students\' viewpoints on plant-based foods, whereas hierarchical and k-means clustering provided the cluster structure. An ordered probit model was estimated to delineate Gen Z\'s willingness to adopt plant-based diets and distinguish among mostly unwilling, somewhat willing, and mostly willing youths. Our findings identified two consumer segments, namely proponents and opponents of plant-based foods and diets, with statistically significant differences in the perceived health benefits of plant-based diets, attachment to animal-based proteins, perceived exclusion of animal-based foods, dissatisfaction with plant-based foods\' attributes, and demand for ensuring adequate protein intake. The ordered probit model estimates showed that there is a \"homogeneity\" in the factors influencing youths\' intention to adopt plant-based diets, with attitude components, meal preparation indicators, perceived barriers to eating \"green\", and personal factors, such as self-assessed knowledge of healthy eating and physical activity, being strongly associated with students\' willingness to switch to plant-based diets in all three countries. Mapping potential obstacles and enablers in terms of shifting to more green-eating behaviors, our findings could add information to better understand the factors affecting food choice and youths\' transition to a more sustainable lifestyle.
摘要:
包括这个星球上最大的人口群体,Z世代提出了由气候变化和食品驱动的面向未来的消费领域。本研究旨在调查Z世代对植物性食物和饮食的看法,并探索态度成分之间的关系,参与膳食准备,个人和生活方式因素,以及采用植物性饮食的感知障碍,都愿意采用绿色饮食。使用希腊大学生的横截面数据,印度,和英国,使用各种工具来确定影响年轻人对动物蛋白替代品的消费行为的因素。PCA指出了学生对植物性食物的观点的基本维度,而分层和k均值聚类提供了聚类结构。估计了一个有序的概率模型来描述Z世代采用植物性饮食的意愿,并区分大多数不愿意的饮食,有点愿意,大多是心甘情愿的年轻人。我们的发现确定了两个消费者群体,即植物性食品和饮食的支持者和反对者,在植物性饮食的健康益处方面存在统计学上的显着差异,对动物蛋白质的依恋,感知到对动物性食品的排斥,对植物性食品属性的不满,以及确保充足蛋白质摄入的需求。有序的probit模型估计表明,影响年轻人采用植物性饮食的意愿的因素存在“同质性”,有了态度成分,膳食准备指标,感知到吃“绿色”的障碍,和个人因素,例如自我评估的健康饮食和体育锻炼知识,这三个国家的学生都愿意转向植物性饮食。在转向更多的绿色饮食行为方面绘制潜在的障碍和推动者,我们的研究结果可以增加信息,以更好地了解影响食物选择和青少年过渡到更可持续的生活方式的因素。