The influence of skepticism on the university Millennials’ organic food product purchase intention

Abstract

Purpose

This study extends the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and analyzes the influence of skepticism (SKP) on the purchase intention (PI) of organic products, through the mediation of subjective norms (SN) and planned behavior control.

Design/methodology/approach

This was a quantitative, correlational and cross-sectional study. The study population comprised 446 university Millennials from Ecuador. Results were processed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM).

Findings

The study showed that SKP does not directly influence the PI. However, if it does so through the mediating effect of SN and perceived behavior control (PBC). Also, the study found that attitudes (ATTs), SN and PBC influence the PI of organic products in university Millennials.

Originality/value

The study used TPB constructs and identified the influence of SKP on the intention to buy organic products in Ecuadorian university Millennials.

Citation

Hoyos-Vallejo, C.A., Carrión-Bósquez, N.G. and Ortiz-Regalado, O. (2023), "The influence of skepticism on the university Millennials’ organic food product purchase intention", British Food Journal, Vol. 125 No. 10, pp. 3800-3816. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-02-2023-0093