The Willingness to Pay in the Food Sector. Testing the Hypothesis of Consumer Preferences for Some Made in Italy Products

Lucio Cappelli, Fabrizio D’Ascenzo, Maria Felice Arezzo (), Roberto Ruggieri and Irina Gorelova
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Lucio Cappelli: Department of Economics and Law, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, 03043 Cassino, Italy
Fabrizio D’Ascenzo: Faculty of Economics, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, 00161 Rome, Italy
Roberto Ruggieri: Faculty of Economics, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, 00161 Rome, Italy
Irina Gorelova: Faculty of Economics, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, 00161 Rome, Italy

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 15, 1-11

Abstract: Previous publications have shown that Italian consumers are willing to pay a premium price for certain categories of Made in Italy products. The premium price has proven to be higher in the food sector. This study provides an extensive literature review on the topic and aims to test a hypothesis regarding consumer preferences towards some Made in Italy food products of mass consumption (olive oil, meat and fish), with specific reference to the value systems that influence the purchase. This paper studies the correlation between the potential willingness to pay a premium price for the mentioned products and the characteristics of consumers’ sample. The results obtained confirm the willingness to pay for Made in Italy products and correlate the willingness to pay a premium price with the level of education of the respondents to the questionnaire. Thus, these findings show that consumers with a higher educational level tend to make more sustainable food choices and by doing so lean toward a sustainable lifestyle.

Keywords: Made in Italy; willingness to pay; country of origin; quality; sustainable food choices (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:15:p:6275-:d:394375

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