CONCLUSIONES

The questionnaire (Appendix 11) was used as a tool to collect data to explore the consumer lifestyle in Bangkok. In order to develop a fuller picture of consumers in Bangkok, the survey not only looked at the attitudes of consumers - as conventional research always does (Mol and Spaargaren 2006) but also at consumers‘ practices (what consumers eat and where they shop) and consumers‘ perspectives with regards to providers (how consumers think about providers‘ strategies). The survey looked at three main topics: 1) consumers‘ attitudes, 2) consumers‘ practices, and 3) consumers‘ perspectives. The variables for these topics are discussed below.

Variables for consumers’ attitudes

The attitudes of consumers were considered represented through two main concepts: consumers‘ awareness of and knowledge about sustainable food. These variables illustrated consumers‘ present knowledge about sustainable food as well as their openness to changing their habits. We assumed that there would be differences in the awareness and knowledge of customers of specialized shops, high-end supermarkets and discount stores.

Consumers were interviewed to determine their awareness of sustainability issues, such as safety, the environment, society and animal welfare, together with other concerns, such as appearance, price and promotion. The survey looked at the considerations made when buying food and also at the trade-offs between green and other variables. The green variables included factors that contribute to sustainability such as health, safety, environment, organic, local produce and animal welfare. The other variables were factors that affected purchasing behavior but do not contribute to sustainability such as price, special offers, brand image, freshness, taste and beauty. These variables were obtained from question 8 in part 1 of the questionnaire which asked the respondents to weigh the level of importance they attach to these considerations. The respondents could choose from a range of options on a Likert Scale – whether they strongly disagreed, disagreed, neither agreed nor disagreed, agreed or strongly agreed. The respondents who strongly agreed on green variables were regarded as consumers who had high awareness of sustainable food and actively considered safety and the environment before making purchase decisions.

Consumers‘ knowledge about sustainable food was tested by asking whether they could define the meaning of sustainable food and recognize a distinct sustainable food standard. Fot this purpose, nine logos of food standards were presented to the respondents (in question 9). Five of these logos certified that the food met organic standards while the other four logos represented hygienic/pesticide safety standards. Respondents were asked if they could choose the organic food standards in the selection. After the test, the results were ranked according to their correctness. If the respondents correctly selected one organic logo, their level of awareness was low. If the respondents correctly selected two or three organic logos, the level was moderate. If the respondents correctly selected four or five organic logos, the level was high. In the next question, the respondents were asked to select a correct definition of organic

115 food. If the respondents selected a correct definition, it would imply that they had some knowledge about sustainable food. Appendix 12 shows the variables and values of variables for consumers‘ attitudes that were used in the analysis.

Variables for consumers’ practices

To assess consumer practices, the survey included three main variables: eating lifestyle, shopping habits and their experience of buying sustainable foods. The questions on consumers‘ eating and shopping habits focused on the type of food that they normally eat, the place of eating, the frequency of buying food and the percentage of their income spent on food. The experience of buying sustainable food examined whether the consumers already bought or had not yet bought sustainable food. This element of the study aimed to explore whether or not the existing eating and shopping behaviour of the three groups of consumers varied. It was assumed that the experience of customers of specialized shops, high-end supermarkets and discount stores was different.

To determine their eating lifestyle, the types of food that consumers normally eat, as well as the place of eating, were analysed. The eating lifestyle variables include traditional (Thai rice and side dishes) vs. modern food (western and fast food) as well as eating at home vs. eating outside the home. These variables were obtained from question 7 of the questionnaire, which asked the respondents to select the lifestyle that came closest to their practice.

To analyse shopping habits, consideration was given to the place of shopping for food, the frequency of shopping, and the percentage of income spent on food. These variables were obtained from questions 4, 5, and 6 in part 1 of the questionnaire, where the respondents were asked to select the lifestyle that mostly matched their practice. These variables also show how important food is to the consumers.

Consumers‘ experience with regard to sustainable food was evaluated in terms of whether they bought organic food. They were asked which organic product they have bought (out of a range of 9 options). The variables were obtained from question 12 in part 1 of the questionnaire. Appendix 13 shows the variables and the values of the variables for consumers‘ shopping practices that were used in the analysis.

Variables for consumers’ perspectives

To investigate consumers‘ perspectives, their preferences for particular kinds of strategies for promoting green food shopping practices offered by providers were investigated. The study aimed to discover which strategies might positively influence Bangkok consumers to purchase more sustainable food. These strategies were obtained from the focus group discussion with the representatives of the specialized shops and the in-depth interviews with supermarket managers. The strategies can be divided into four major categories; 1) targeting additional groups among sustainable food consumers, 2) providing information about sustainable food, 3) connecting providers and consumers and 4) the price of sustainable food. These strategies were subsequently presented to green and general consumers in consumer focus group discussions (See Chapter 6). These two groups were asked to discuss the pros and cons of each strategy and to rank them, from the most to the least effective. The focus group discussions showed that green consumers gave top priority to the information strategy while general consumers were mostly attracted by a price reduction. This chapter explores whether customers of specialized shops, high-end supermarkets, and discount stores have different views about these strategies. The questionnaire used expressions to represent the strategy (Appendix 14) to which the respondents were asked to respond on a Likert-type scale

116 (ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) thereby enabling us to understand consumer preferences and to determine whether there was any difference between the three groups.