Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic, Social Media Usage and Food Waste Intention: The Role of Excessive Buying Behavior and Religiosity

Alaa M. S. Azazz and Ibrahim A. Elshaer
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Alaa M. S. Azazz: Al Bilad Bank Scholarly Chair for Food Security in Saudi Arabia, The Deanship of Scientific Research, The Vice Presidency for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Ibrahim A. Elshaer: Al Bilad Bank Scholarly Chair for Food Security in Saudi Arabia, The Deanship of Scientific Research, The Vice Presidency for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 11, 1-14

Abstract: Despite being a religious country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) ranks among the world’s worst food wasters. Social media usage (SMU) and changes in customers’ behavior, such as excessive buying, are some of the main influences of food waste. This paper examined the impact of SMU on food waste intention (FWI) with the mediating role of religiosity and excessive buying behavior amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. A self-administered questionnaire was completed by 1250 restaurant customers in KSA. The study results employing structural equation modeling (SEM) demonstrated a significant negative impact of customer religion on the intention of food waste. Nevertheless, SMU fosters excessive buying, which in return results in a high FWI. The results also demonstrated that excessive buying behaviors partially mediate the influence of SMU and religiosity on the intention of food waste. The findings have numerous implications for policymakers, academics, and restaurant professionals.

Keywords: social media; food waste intention; religiosity; buying behavior; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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