Why do we eat what we eat? Eating motivations of Hungarian consumers

Abstract

THE AIMS OF THE PAPER

Programs to improve eating habits have not been very effective so far. To move the population towards a healthier diet, it is worth knowing what motivates consumers in their food choices. The aim of our study is therefore to explore the eating motivations of Hungarian consumers, the relative importance of each motivation, possible differences in motivations along the stages of the transition to a healthy diet and background variables, and to segment the population based on their eating motivations.

METHODOLOGY

In order to achieve our goal, we conducted a nationwide representative questionnaire survey, in which we measured eating motivations with The Eating Motivation Survey (TEMS) and the transition to healthy eating with the Transtheoretical Model of Change (TTM). The relative importance of eating motivations was described by simple descriptive statistics, and then factor and cluster analyses were performed based on eating motivations.

MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS

According to our results, the liking and enjoyment of food, hunger, as well as habit, tradition and comfort are extremely important motivations for Hungarian consumers, while the health, naturalness and role of food in weight control are less likely to motivate them. The latter motivators are more common among women, those with higher education, and those with lower BMI. It was also found that need, convenience, tradition, and price have a significant motivating power at the beginning of the transition to a healthier diet, but their role typically decreases in the process. The eating motivations of Hungarian consumers are grouped into eight factors, based on which we were able to identify four segments of consumers.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Our results may contribute to the development of programs aiming to improve eating habits based on consumers’ food choices. The typical motivators of subsequent stages of TTM have highlighted the fact that the transition to a healthier diet should be facilitated by programs that emphasize that a healthy diet can be achieved without starvation and discomfort. Of the four clusters identified, the part of the “conscious eaters” segment that is in the contemplation, preparation, or action stages of TTM can be the target group of a behavior change program. While the first group could be moved towards a healthier diet by informative messages, the second one by persuasive messages, and the third one by reinforcing messages.

Acknowledgments: This work was supported by grant EFOP-3.6.2-16-2017-00003. The project was supported by the European Union, co-financed by the European Social Fund.