Abstract:

The study proposes an extended model of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and aims to investigate the effects of variables on organic food purchase intentions of young adult consumers. The study examines the three variables of the theory of planned behavior, namely attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and the effects of perceived benefits and perceived barriers on organic food purchase intention. The population of the research is university undergraduate students studying in the East Black Sea region in Turkey. A web-based questionnaire was applied to volunteer young adults selected using the convenience sampling method. The obtained data were analyzed by structural equation modeling and SPSS statistical program. The findings are as follows. Perceived benefits were effective on the attitude towards organic food, but not found to be effective on the purchase intention towards organic food. Perceived barriers were effective on purchase intention, but not found to be effective on attitude. The attitude was effective on purchase intention, but the subjective norm and perceived behavioral control were not found to be effective on purchase intention. The research proposes the extended theory of planned behavior in determining organic food purchase intention. The results obtained are valuable in terms of understanding the consumption behavior of young adults, which is an important market segment.

Keywords: