Determinants of young consumers’ intention to purchase organic food: Extending the theory of planned behavior

Abstract

This study aims to identify the key factors affecting young consumers’ intention to purchase organic food. The data were collected from 374 young consumers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) technique was used to analyze the data. The findings reveal that electronic word-of-mouth, perceived value, attitude, and subjective norms have a significant positive impact on purchase intention, whereas perceived behavioral control does not. Both electronic word-of-mouth and perceived value play crucial roles in shaping consumers’ attitudes. The findings also highlight the importance of electronic word-of-mouth in enhancing perceived value, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. This study is one of the few studies that extend the theory of planned behavior by incorporating perceived value and electronic word-of-mouth constructs. In the discussion section, several measures are proposed to improve young consumers’ attitudes and purchase intentions toward organic food.