Explaining Chinese Consumers’ Green Food Purchase Intentions during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Extended Theory of Planned Behaviour

“Note: * Source from Bagozzi and Yi [57]; GFI, goodness-of-fit index; NFI, normative fit index; TLI, Tucker–Lewis index; CFI, comparative fit index; IFI, incremental fit index; RMSEA, root mean square error approximation.”

“A possible explanation of this incongruence is due to the unstable, poor predictive power of subjective norms, and variation in different contexts [60,61], especially regarding organic and green food purchases [32,39].”

“Moral attitude refers to a person’s self-evaluation resulting from their expected compliance with their moral principles [37].”

“Moreover, some nonnegligible limitations of applying TPB exist, and therefore, various refinements and extensions of TPB theory have been suggested to improve its effectiveness and applicability [20,21].”

“[54] PBC2 I have all resources for buying green food.”

“In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the outbreak of the highly transmittable Coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic [1], which is considered to be the third pandemic in the 21st century [2].”

“In addition, the values of factors loading for all variables ranged from 0.719 to 0.944 and exceeded the acceptable value of 0.6 [58].”

“[55] MA2 If I purchase green food rather than non-green food, it feels like I’m doing the morally right thing.”

“This result is consistent with former studies [19,27–29] involving environmentally friendly food products.”

“Subjective norm also reveals the individuals’ beliefs about how their reference groups would view them if they perform a certain behaviour [28].”

“According to Paul and Rana [42], people who are more concerned about their health have frequent positive attitudes towards buying organic products since they are commonly considered as a healthier choice, compared to conventionally grown food varieties [24,43].”

“In the extended model, the analysed results supported findings from studies involving the purchase of environmentally friendly food products [27,39] and demonstrated that consumers’ moral attitude towards green food is a significant positive driver of intentional purchases.”

“Health consciousness is defined as ‘the degree to which health concerns are integrated into a person’s daily activities’ [40], which reveals a person’s willingness to conduct health behaviours [41].”

“According to Paul and Rana [42], people who are more concerned about their health have frequent positive attitudes towards buying organic products since they are commonly considered as a healthier choice, compared to conventionally grown food varieties [24,43].”

“Previous research indicated that subjective norm is a positive driver of consumers’ behavioural intentions to indulge in their food choices [31,32].”

“Although the situation is expected to improve in the next several years, the COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly has widespread effects on society and consumers, hinting towards the dynamic changes in the market [3,4].”

“Studies from Yadav and Pathak [27] and Carfora et al. [36] have confirmed that the most significant impact of PBC on consumers’ buying intentions towards organic food products is mainly due to unavailability issues.”

“According to Scalco et al. [30], the most important social influences related to consumers’ environmentally friendly food purchases are from their families, friends, colleagues, and other reference groups.”

“Moreover, the latest studies [8,50] reported that the COVID-19 pandemic could lead people’s behaviours and lifestyles towards a sustainable and healthier direction.”

“As expected, health consciousness emerges as one significant driver of green food purchase intention as well, which correlates with previous findings that the consumers’ health concern is one of the primary determinants influencing their environmentally friendly food behavioural intentions [62–64].”

“This result is consistent with former studies [19,27–29] involving environmentally friendly food products.”

“Meanwhile, many Chinese families pay increasing attention to their health, quality lifestyles, environmental protection, and food security, and prefer to consume safe and green food products [15,16].”

“Previous studies highlight PBC as a salient factor of intention during sustainable food consumption [34,35].”

“Moral attitude is considered another salient behavioural factor in purchasing environmentally friendly food products since these behaviours are commonly perceived as pro-environmental actions [23].”

“Many studies have found health consciousness as a significant motivator for consumer decisions towards environmentally friendly food products [44–47] and a crucial factor that strongly influences consumers’ willingness to pay for premium products [48].”

“[53] AT2 I believe buying green food is pleasant.”

“The ongoing coronavirus pandemic crisis has caused a severe global health emergency and, consequently, has led to a shift in food systems as well as the way people purchase and consume their food [49].”

“Lastly, the emergence of the pandemic has strongly affected the global food systems, such as a collapse in a growing demand for global agri-food products, the severe disruptions of domestic and international food supply chains, the shortage of labour for food production enterprises, and the shifting consumption patter…”

“Many studies have found health consciousness as a significant motivator for consumer decisions towards environmentally friendly food products [44–47] and a crucial factor that strongly influences consumers’ willingness to pay for premium products [48].”

“Moreover, recent studies that investigated the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on food consumption show that many consumers have been increasingly concerned about the health aspects [7–9].”

“However, other scholars [19,33] argue the efficacy of subjective norm in explaining consumer food choices and agree that more examinations into the role of the subjective norm are needed.”

“…has strongly affected the global food systems, such as a collapse in a growing demand for global agri-food products, the severe disruptions of domestic and international food supply chains, the shortage of labour for food production enterprises, and the shifting consumption pattern [8,25,26].”

“Thus, they perceive a sense of responsibility for their purchases and look for opportunities to fulfil them [29,38].”

“PBC is also an important aspect that is directly associated with consumers’ green food purchase intentions, which conforms with conclusions of previous studies [19,34,59].”

“Lastly, the emergence of the pandemic has strongly affected the global food systems, such as a collapse in a growing demand for global agri-food products, the severe disruptions of domestic and international food supply chains, the shortage of labour for food production enterprises, and the shifting consumption patter…”

“Some studies have found that there has been increased consumption of unhealthy food during the initial ‘lockdown’ period [5,6].”

“A possible explanation of this incongruence is due to the unstable, poor predictive power of subjective norms, and variation in different contexts [60,61], especially regarding organic and green food purchases [32,39].”

“As expected, health consciousness emerges as one significant driver of green food purchase intention as well, which correlates with previous findings that the consumers’ health concern is one of the primary determinants influencing their environmentally friendly food behavioural intentions [62–64].”

“Previous research indicated that subjective norm is a positive driver of consumers’ behavioural intentions to indulge in their food choices [31,32].”

“Moreover, recent studies that investigated the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on food consumption show that many consumers have been increasingly concerned about the health aspects [7–9].”

“Many studies have found health consciousness as a significant motivator for consumer decisions towards environmentally friendly food products [44–47] and a crucial factor that strongly influences consumers’ willingness to pay for premium products [48].”

“Some studies have found that there has been increased consumption of unhealthy food during the initial ‘lockdown’ period [5,6].”

“The pandemic has greatly increased an individual’s safety and health concerns, and people are increasingly focused on health benefits, which also supports findings from Meixner and Katt [3].”

“Thirdly, recent studies [66–68] have reported that there is an increasing need from consumers to receive food information services.”

“Moreover, some nonnegligible limitations of applying TPB exist, and therefore, various refinements and extensions of TPB theory have been suggested to improve its effectiveness and applicability [20,21].”

“According to Paul and Rana [42], people who are more concerned about their health have frequent positive attitudes towards buying organic products since they are commonly considered as a healthier choice, compared to conventionally grown food varieties [24,43].”

“The theory of planned behaviour (TPB), proposed by Ajzen [17], is one of the most widely used theories predicting consumers’ purchase intentions of environmentally friendly food products [18,19].”

“Meanwhile, many Chinese families pay increasing attention to their health, quality lifestyles, environmental protection, and food security, and prefer to consume safe and green food products [15,16].”

“PBC is also an important aspect that is directly associated with consumers’ green food purchase intentions, which conforms with conclusions of previous studies [19,34,59].”

“It is necessary to use multidisciplinary approaches for better understanding consumers’ food preferences and acceptances in different contexts and eating scenarios [22].”

“Thirdly, recent studies [66–68] have reported that there is an increasing need from consumers to receive food information services.”

“As noted in the previous section, other studies have questioned the predictive power of both subjective norms [12,22,27] and perceived behavioral control [12,25,27].”

“Qi and Ploeger [28] found that the TPB is useful in predicting consumers’ green food purchase intention.”

“…it is considered that the preferences and habits of individuals have changed towards healthier foods, perceiving that this type of products present special attributes for health and which is a way to contribute to the preservation of the environment (Hansmann et al., 2020; Qi & Ploeger, 2021b).”

“This finding contributes to the enrichment of the theoretical model focusing on green food and consumer behavior as the primary subjects of study [112].”

“For instance, Qi and Ploger [79] explained that subjective norms have an unstable predictive power in forming behavioral intentions, especially in the extended TPB in the context of green food purchases.”

“Therefore, active promotion of consumers’ recognition of a product such as emphasizing the advantages of a dietary supplement and enhancing their knowledge of and confidence in that product would positively impact their attitudes [79].”

“Additionally, Qi and Ploeger (31) demonstrated the cross-cultural applicability of the TPB by successfully implementing the framework across diverse market contexts to predict patterns of organic food consumption.”

“Studies identify it as one of the most significant motivating factors for healthy food consumption, particularly during health-critical periods [2,20,65].”

“There is substantial empirical research available on understanding how consumers’ attitudes influence their behavioural intentions, which have observed a significant relation between the two [19,33,47].”

“The findings of prior research confirmed a positive link between perceived behavioral control and intentions [62], for instance, consumers’ perceived behavioral control positively influenced their intentions to bring a reusable bag for shopping [63] and purchase green food [64].”

“In recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted consumer habits and behaviors, resulting in a more sustainable and healthier period of consumerism [73].”

“[83] AC4 Watching a Mexican movie at the cinema is a pleasant experience Subjective norms NS1 When I go to the cinema, I usually watch a Mexican movie if my friends watched it.”

“Furthermore, the impact of COVID-19 had a significant positive effect on purchase intention directly and indirectly 2) via health consciousness (Qi and Ploeger 2021).”

“…Portugal, and Germany (e.g., Alexa et al., 2021; Castellini et al., 2021; Dannenberg et al., 2020) and in some emerging economies such as China, Vietnam, India, Turkey, and Brazil (e.g., Chaturvedi et al., 2021; Güney & Sangün, 2021; S. Li et al., 2021; Qi & Ploeger, 2021; Severo et al., 2021).”

“The results are consistent with the theory of planned behavior and are similar to the studies of Qi & Ploeger (2021) [34] and Sadiq et al. (2023) [54].”

“In the next few years, the organic food industry in China has great potential for further expansion [5,6].”

“…been widely applied to study di ff erent aspects related to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as protective behaviours (Tri fi letti et al., 2021), consumption intentions (Wang et al., 2021), green food purchase intentions (Qi & Ploeger, 2021), and social distancing intentions (Arikkatt & Mohanan, 2021).”

“Data were collected through a web-based survey, a widely used, cost-effective, and efficient way to reach a large audience, ensuring anonymity and recommended due to the COVID-19 disturbance (Ahmed et al., 2021; Qalati et al., 2022).”

“With its specific at‐ tributes, green foodmeets the current demand [5].”

“In China, mainly, Qi and Ploeger (2021) saw that after COVID-19, consumers are moving towards green products.”

“…to include a new construct related to the impact of social media content on con‑ sumers’ perception of product desirability and social approval (Qi & Ploeger, 2021), which in turn influ‑ ences their purchase intentions. additionally, the results of this study indicate that the technology…”

“More and more people are turning to green products to protect their children and families when faced with risky events such as a pandemic (Qi et al., 2020; Qi and Ploeger, 2021).”

“This finding is consistent with other studies [66,67], i.”

“Scholars believe that this theory can predict and explain human behavior in different settings [30], and has been successfully applied in many consumer behavior studies related to food [31–33].”

“Driven by consumer concerns about food safety and environmental impact, China’s food production is increasingly shifting toward more sustainable practices, especially with the rise of internet commerce (Chu et al., 2023; Liu et al., 2016; Peng et al., 2022; Qi & Ploeger, 2021).”

“…subjective willingness or likelihood of buying food products that are certified as environmentally friendly, safe, and sustainably produced [16], serves as a critical psychological precursor to actual green food consumption, and reflects an individual’s alignment with ecological values,…”

“A product, a person, or any other tangible or intangible stimulus can be used as a subject [7].”

“Qi and Ploeger (2021) conducted a quantitative study to analyze Chinese consumers' intention to purchase green food during the COVID‐19 pandemic and proved that purchase intention was positively influenced by the pandemic.”

“China is a particularly important market for green food consumption [8,9].”

“For example, consumers may prefer healthy diets [38,39], the demand for online food delivery may increase [40,41], panic buying may occur [42], and sustainable food consumption may be promoted [43–45].”

“Social pressure affects consumer behavioral intentions, which shows that subjective norms are a positive driver (Qi & Ploeger, 2021a).”

“Besides, in the green food industry of china, empirical findings also confirm the positive link between attitude and intention to buy (he et al., 2019; Qi & Ploeger, 2019, 2021b).”

“However, scholarly discussions persist regarding the nature and clarity of this concept [49].”

“Additionally, by optimizing the purchasing process and offering price incentives, companies can effectively enhance consumers’ sense of control over sustainable sports product purchases, thereby promoting the occurrence of green consumer behaviors.”

“The Theory of Planned Behavior predicts food purchasing intentions, particularly for environmentally friendly food products (Qi & Ploeger, 2021; Wang & Wang, 2016).”

“…“ Responsible consumption and production ” through research on pollution reduction, waste reduction, green foods, sustainable materials, green spaces, green products, green consumption, etc. (Farmer et al., 2017; Hosseini et al., 2021; Pinto et al., 2021; Qi & Ploeger, 2021; Rabiee et al., 2022).”

“For instance, research expanding on TPB has demonstrated that various personal behavioral and cognitive factors, such as moral attitudes, health consciousness, and perceived external environmental impacts, significantly contribute to sustaining green consumption behavior (Qi and Ploeger, 2021).”

“The theory of planned behavior (TPB) provides a useful framework for understanding behavioral intentions through three core constructs: attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control (PBC) [8-10].”

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, TPB has been frequently employed to investigate behaviors related to pandemic control [38], vaccination [39], physical exercises [40], healthy eating [41], health protective measures [42], health information-sharing [43], and other behaviors.”

“The TPB theory has been applied to investigate consumer behavior in many research fields, such as Cachero-Martínez (2020), Qi & Ploeger (2021), and Dhir et al. (2021).”

“In the context of Chinese culture, this indirect path may be better understood through the lens of collectivist values, which emphasize social harmony, group consensus, and interpersonal in fl uence (Qi & Ploeger, 2021).”

“Qi and Ploeger (2021) in their research used the theory to clarify people's food preferences.”

“[21] found that health consciousness significantly influences the intention to purchase environmentally friendly foods.”

“Results from H1 and H2 are convergent with other TPB and PI studies (Abbasi et al. 2021; Dionysis, Chesney, and McAuley 2022; Lim et al. 2022; Qi and Ploeger 2021).”