Consumers' Motivations Driving Organic Demand: Between Self-interest and Sustainability

Sylvette Monier-Dilhan and Fabian Bergès

Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, 2016, vol. 45, issue 3, 522-538

Abstract: We study consumers’ motivations for buying organic food by analyzing their shopping baskets. Buying organic can be motivated by concern about sustainable development and/or self-interest (considerations related to health or product quality). Pro-social motivation is inferred from the presence of fair trade products in the consumer's basket; consumer self-interest is deduced from the presence of healthy and higher-quality products bearing special quality labels or certifications. Our results indicate that environmental motivation predicts organic food purchases better than health or quality considerations: the complementarity between organic and fair trade products is strongest. In addition, the household's socioeconomic background influences secondary motivations.

Date: 2016
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cup:agrerw:v:45:y:2016:i:03:p:522-538_00

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