Cognitive Biases and Behavioural Segmentation in Food Demand

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The study will consist of three parts.The first part of the study will segment consumers based on their preferences and consumption patterns using economic models of demand to facilitate better targeting of dietary interventions. Previous models of food demand have provided the average response of the population as a whole to changes in economic and demographic circumstances. Our work will extend previous models to recognise that food preferences differ between different individuals and, therefore, the notion of an average response to changing socio-economic circumstances may provide only limited insights into consumer response to dietary interventions. Our modelling approach will enable us to identify sub-groups within the population within which food choices and food preferences are similar. This part of the study will use data from the UK Government's Living Costs and Food Survey which covers a nationally representative sample of nearly 7000 UK households, stratified by Government Office Region and other socio-economic variables. The second part of the study will attempt to explain these preferences and consumption patterns based on factors influencing behaviours derived from social psychology and behavioural economics. It will explore how susceptible consumers within particular preference and food consumption clusters are to the range of "biases" influencing food choice (e.g., tolerance of risk, conformity to social norms, discount rates, impulsivity etc). This part of the study will use a questionnaire-based survey of 1000 UK households to explore the range of social and cognitive factors that explain the susceptibility to biases influencing food choice. It will provide insights into the design of dietary interventions relevant for different consumer segments. The study will facilitate the development of a suite of interventions that are appropriate for different consumer preferences and behavioural patterns. The study can be used to develop diagnostic or screening tools to identify the most appropriate interventions for different segments of consumers. The third part of the study will use these insights to develop experimental manipulations aimed at changing the behaviour of some of the key sub-groups based on their susceptibility to behavioural biases and associated food preference patterns. This will help in assessing the potential efficacy of dietary interventions based on behavioural economics insights.The project will assemble a unique dataset which brings together food purchase behaviour and the cognitive biases and social factors influencing food choice which will be very valuable for future interdisciplinary research on food choice behaviour.