The Impact of Consumer Participation Certification on the Trust of Eco-Agricultural Products Based on the Mediating Effects of Information and Identity

Wenguang Ge, Xinyu Bai, Zheng Zhang and Qianqian Gao
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Wenguang Ge: School of Economics and Management, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China
Xinyu Bai: School of Economics and Management, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China
Zheng Zhang: School of Management Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan 250000, China
Qianqian Gao: School of Economics and Management, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-21

Abstract: With the increasing distrust of food safety, both third-party certification systems (TPC) and participatory guarantee systems (PGS) play a vital role in restoring consumer trust. Although the fact that previous research has focused on consumer trust and the factors that impact it in TPC products, little emphasis has been made on how consumer participation in certification affects trust. The goal of the study was to explore how consumer participation certification affects trust in eco-agricultural products under PGS. We constructed a theoretical framework of consumer trust in eco-agricultural products under PGS, based on consumer trust theory, and clarified the relationship between consumer participation certification, information quality, social identity, and consumer trust. After obtaining 238 valid questionnaires on consumers from 12 PGS organizations nationwide, a structural equation model (SEM) was conducted. The conclusions are as follows: (1) Consumer participation has a positive impact on consumer trust, and the direct effect is not significant, but the indirect effect is significant; (2) Information quality and social identity have been identified to play full intermediary roles in the relationship between consumer participation and trust. We suggest relevant research implications and recommendations for future research on consumer trust in PGS based on the findings.

Keywords: participatory guarantee system; consumer participation; social identity; information quality; trust mechanism; two-factor intermediary analysis model (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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