Details
| Translated title of the contribution | Sustainable food consumption - Explanatory approaches for the attitude-behavior gap of students in northern Germany |
|---|---|
| Original language | German |
| Pages (from-to) | 3–12 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Standort |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 3 Jun 2024 |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2025 |
Abstract
The food sector is considered a major driver of global environmental change. To ensure sustainable development, radical changes in both food production and consumer behavior are inevitable. Despite increasing environmental awareness, there are discrepancies between positive attitudes toward sustainable food consumption and actual consumer behavior. This study explores the so-called attitude-behavior gap in the target group of young students from urban and rural areas. With the aid of 12 interviews, potential explanatory approaches are investigated and measures are outlined that could contribute to reducing these discrepancies. The main barriers that could be identified were additional effort and perceived higher prices of sustainable food. In addition, the lack of access to sustainable food constitutes a hurdle for students from rural regions. The study reveals that the desire for sustainable consumption represents highly complex decisions for students, often revealing conflicting goals and leading to decisions perceived by respondents themselves as suboptimal. Measures are required at various levels to reduce the discrepancies. Politically, frameworks must be established to facilitate sustainable food consumption. Companies and retailers should provide transparent information and make their product range more sustainable. Furthermore, it is crucial for consumers to make additional individual effort.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences(all)
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Social Sciences(all)
- Development
- Environmental Science(all)
- General Environmental Science
- Social Sciences(all)
- General Social Sciences
- Social Sciences(all)
- Urban Studies
- Environmental Science(all)
- Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
- General Earth and Planetary Sciences
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: Standort, Vol. 49, No. 1, 03.2025, p. 3–12.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Nachhaltiger Lebensmittelkonsum
T2 - Erklärungsansätze für den Attitude-Behavior-Gap von Studierenden in Norddeutschland
AU - Kruse, Hauke
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2025/3
Y1 - 2025/3
N2 - The food sector is considered a major driver of global environmental change. To ensure sustainable development, radical changes in both food production and consumer behavior are inevitable. Despite increasing environmental awareness, there are discrepancies between positive attitudes toward sustainable food consumption and actual consumer behavior. This study explores the so-called attitude-behavior gap in the target group of young students from urban and rural areas. With the aid of 12 interviews, potential explanatory approaches are investigated and measures are outlined that could contribute to reducing these discrepancies. The main barriers that could be identified were additional effort and perceived higher prices of sustainable food. In addition, the lack of access to sustainable food constitutes a hurdle for students from rural regions. The study reveals that the desire for sustainable consumption represents highly complex decisions for students, often revealing conflicting goals and leading to decisions perceived by respondents themselves as suboptimal. Measures are required at various levels to reduce the discrepancies. Politically, frameworks must be established to facilitate sustainable food consumption. Companies and retailers should provide transparent information and make their product range more sustainable. Furthermore, it is crucial for consumers to make additional individual effort.
AB - The food sector is considered a major driver of global environmental change. To ensure sustainable development, radical changes in both food production and consumer behavior are inevitable. Despite increasing environmental awareness, there are discrepancies between positive attitudes toward sustainable food consumption and actual consumer behavior. This study explores the so-called attitude-behavior gap in the target group of young students from urban and rural areas. With the aid of 12 interviews, potential explanatory approaches are investigated and measures are outlined that could contribute to reducing these discrepancies. The main barriers that could be identified were additional effort and perceived higher prices of sustainable food. In addition, the lack of access to sustainable food constitutes a hurdle for students from rural regions. The study reveals that the desire for sustainable consumption represents highly complex decisions for students, often revealing conflicting goals and leading to decisions perceived by respondents themselves as suboptimal. Measures are required at various levels to reduce the discrepancies. Politically, frameworks must be established to facilitate sustainable food consumption. Companies and retailers should provide transparent information and make their product range more sustainable. Furthermore, it is crucial for consumers to make additional individual effort.
KW - Consumer behavior
KW - Food
KW - Nutrition
KW - Sustainability
KW - Sustainable consumption
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85195500816&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00548-024-00928-8
DO - 10.1007/s00548-024-00928-8
M3 - Artikel
VL - 49
SP - 3
EP - 12
JO - Standort
JF - Standort
SN - 0174-3635
IS - 1
ER -