Abstract:
Based on the assessment of the current state of knowledge, research premises can be formulated as a point of departure for this study. One is the complexity of consumer behavior, which forces the interdisciplinary nature of analyses and the search for new research perspectives. In the face of permanent changes in the environment, the search for new knowledge about consumer behavior will always be timely and practically useful. It should be emphasized that currently there is no single common stance as to what extent food consumption (level, structure, preferences for the degree of processing, etc.) among Polish consumers refers to global trends, and to what extent it stems from other conditions, e.g. cultural, financial, health, awareness, information or situational.
The purpose of this article is to present the identified determinants of Polish consumer behavior in the food market. Secondary data in the form of literature and available statistical data was used in the research proceedings. To supplement these analyses, empirical material was also collected using a questionnaire. To that end, a total of 1,068 adult Poles were surveyed. In determining sample size, the size of the entire population in the study area was considered along with the assumption that the statistical inference regarding the fraction coefficient is set at a confidence level of 0.95 and a precision order of 3%. The initial data analysis included checking the correctness of the measurement tool and carrying out the analysis of internal compliance of the scales using the α-Crombach method. Statistical and descriptive methods were used in the analysis of the empirical material. A statistical analysis of the correlations between pairs of variables was performed using Pearson's chi-squared test of independence. In order to examine the coexistence of the category of more variables, correspondence analysis was performed using Bart tables. The confidence level was assumed at 0.05.
The conducted research indicates that the desired values to be found in a food product are: favorable price, taste values as a source of new sensations, health benefits, ease of use, or broadly understood social attributes. The improving income of Polish households provides opportunities to meet the increasingly sophisticated nutritional needs and contributes to the increased role of quality in consumer decisions. In Poland specifically, the impact of gender blending, which consists in blurring the boundaries between roles and behaviors traditionally attributed to women and men and adopting patterns of behavior of the opposite sex, remains low considering that sex was the variable most often differentiating the attitudes and purchasing behavior of the respondents.
