"So far, research has focused on isolated aspects of food consumption – for example, which consumer goods are in greater demand during the pandemic or whether customers would in principle spend more money on organic products. However, it remains unclear how everyday consumption actually takes place in the overall picture", explains Prof. Dr. Alexander Danzer, who holds the Chair of Economics/Microeconomics and is conducting the study together with his research associate Helen Zeidler. It is therefore uncharted scientific territory to look at the entire consumption chain in a survey, from planning and purchasing over storage to preparation and consumption. This requires, for example, information on the purchase of product groups, income data, information on household composition and individual values and characteristics that Danzer and Zeidler intend to gather in their study.
"Economists assume that people always act rationally. However, everyday life shows that this is not the case. There are inconsistencies and open questions that are very exciting from a scientific and social point of view", says Danzer. For example, he says, it is still unclear how different aspects of consumption are interrelated or which types of consumption can be distinguished: For example, are people who buy organic products also more health-conscious and at the same time plan their purchases more farsightedly? Has dietary behavior become healthier as people have returned to cooking at home more since the beginning of the pandemic?
"Also, little is known about the significance of family composition and attitudes for sustainable and health-conscious eating", adds Helen Zeidler. According to the Robert Koch Institute, more than 20 percent of children in Germany generally eat organic food on a daily basis – but not exclusively: The share of organic food in total consumption is less than ten percent. Danzer and Zeidler hope that their study will shed light on these and other complex interrelationships in order to gain a well-founded insight into actual consumer behavior – also with regard to specific implications for dietary and purchasing behavior as well as the food trade and industry.
Participation in the survey is anonymous. It is available in German and can be found at https://www.ku.de/wfi/mikro/forschungsprojekt-lebensmittelkonsum. Participants who register for follow-up studies will be entered into a draw for 15 shopping vouchers worth 50 euros each.