Going for the plant-based (legen)dairy alternative? An exploratory study on consumer attitudes and purchase intentions towards plant-based dairy alternatives Master thesis within: Business Administration - Marketing Number of credits: 30 ECTS Program of study: Civilekonom Authors: Emma Rosenlöw & Tommie Hansson Tutor: Adele Berndt Jönköping May 2020 Master Thesis in Business Administration - Marketing Title: Going for the plant-based (legen)dairy alternative? An exploratory study on consumer attitudes and purchase intentions towards plant-based dairy alternatives Authors: Emma Rosenlöw & Tommie Hansson Tutor: Adele Berndt Date: May 18, 2020 Key terms: Attitude, Environmental concern, Greenhouse gas, Health consciousness, Perceived behavioral control, Plant-based dairy substitutes, Purchase intention, Subjective norms Abstract Global food production, and consequently consumption, contributes significantly to total greenhouse gas emissions. Hence, there is a need for a shift towards more environmentally friendly consumption patterns. This includes moving away from current levels of dairy consumption, where plant-based alternatives can serve as more environmentally friendly options. This research sheds light on an emerging product category, namely plant-based dairy alternatives, which can serve as options or substitutes for traditional dairy products. The purpose of this thesis is to explore consumer attitudes and purchase intentions towards plant- based dairy alternatives, as well as the factors that influence attitudes and intentions respectively. To achieve an in-depth understanding of the topic, this study is of qualitative nature, using an abductive approach and interpretive philosophy. The primary data is collected through interviews with 16 consumers in the selected target group. Further, this research has developed a modified theory of planned behavior (TPB), to add to current consumer behavior research. The findings of this research show that the majority of the participants have a positive attitude and furthermore intention to purchase plant-based dairy alternatives. Furthermore, several factors influence consumer attitudes, which are subjective norms, health consciousness, taste, knowledge, environmental concern, animal treatment, and appearance. Moreover, purchase intention is affected by two factors, namely price, and curiosity. ii Acknowledgments Firstly, we would like to express our sincerest gratitude to Adele Berndt, not only for constructively guiding us through the thesis process but also for providing an engaging education for us students aiming to work within the field of marketing. We have particularly appreciated her optimism, enthusiasm, and high competence throughout this time. Secondly, we want to thank everyone who participated in our interviews and gave us highly valuable insights into the complex mind of the consumer. Without you, this research could not have been done. Thirdly, a warm thank you to our families, friends, and fellow students for their support during these months, but also to each other for the time and effort put into this. It has been a challenging, yet valuable and rewarding, experience. Jönköping International Business School May 18, 2020 iii Table of contents 1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 BACKGROUND 1 1.2 PROBLEM DEFINITION 2 1.3 PURPOSE AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS 4 1.4 DELIMITATIONS 4 1.5 DEFINITIONS OF KEY TERMS 5 1.6 THESIS DISPOSITION 6 2. FRAME OF REFERENCE 7 2.1 ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY 7 2.2 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF FOOD CONSUMPTION 7 2.3 PLANT-BASED DAIRY ALTERNATIVES 8 2.4 UNDERSTANDING CONSUMER ATTITUDES AND INTENTIONS 11 2.4.1 The Theory of Planned Behavior 12 2.4.2 Extension of the TPB Model by Current Literature 14 2.5 THE SUGGESTED RESEARCH FRAMEWORK 16 3. METHODOLOGY 22 3.1 RESEARCH PHILOSOPHY 22 3.2 RESEARCH APPROACH 23 3.3 RESEARCH DESIGN 24 3.4 RESEARCH STRATEGY 25 3.5 DATA COLLECTION 26 3.5.1 Interviews as Primary Data 26 3.5.2 Secondary Data 27 3.5.3 Selection of Sample 28 3.5.4 Choice of Questions 29 3.5.5 Pretest 30 3.5.6 Ethical Considerations 31 3.5.7 Execution of Primary Data Collection 31 3.6 INTERPRETATION AND DATA ANALYSIS 32 3.6.1 Data Assembly 32 3.6.2 Data Reduction 33 3.6.3 Data Display 33 3.7 DATA VERIFICATION 33 3.7.1 Data Trustworthiness 34 4. FINDINGS 36 4.1 SAMPLE DISPLAY 36 4.2 GENERAL FINDINGS 37 4.3 FACTORS INFLUENCING ATTITUDES 38 4.3.1 Attitudes 38 4.3.2 Subjective Norms 40 4.3.3 Health Consciousness 43 4.3.4 Taste 45 4.3.5 Knowledge 47 4.3.6 Environmental Concern 49 4.3.7 Additional Factors 52 4.4 ATTITUDE - INTENTION 53 4.5 FACTORS INFLUENCING INTENTION 54 iv 4.5.1 Price 54 4.5.2 Availability 55 4.5.3 Additional Factors 56 5. ANALYSIS 57 5.2 FACTORS INFLUENCING ATTITUDES 57 5.2.1 Subjective Norms 57 5.2.2 Health Consciousness 58 5.2.3 Taste 59 5.2.4 Knowledge 60 5.2.5 Environmental Concern 61 5.2.6 Animal Treatment 62 5.2.7 Appearance 62 5.3 ATTITUDE - INTENTION 63 5.4 FACTORS INFLUENCING INTENTION 63 5.4.1 Price 64 5.4.2 Availability 64 5.4.3 Curiosity 65 5.5 CONNECTING TO THE SUGGESTED RESEARCH FRAMEWORK 65 6. CONCLUSION 67 6.1 PURPOSE AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS 67 6.2 IMPLICATIONS 68 6.2.1 Theoretical Implications 68 6.2.2 Managerial Implications 69 6.2.3 Societal Implications 70 6.3 LIMITATIONS 71 6.4 FUTURE RESEARCH 72 REFERENCE LIST 73 APPENDICES 83 APPENDIX A - INTERVIEW GUIDE 83 APPENDIX B - EXAMPLES OF PLANT-BASED DAIRY ALTERNATIVES 85 APPENDIX C - DATA DISPLAY SPREADSHEET - ATTITUDES 86 APPENDIX D - DATA DISPLAY SPREADSHEET - INTENTIONS 87 v 1. Introduction This chapter presents the background, problem, and purpose of this thesis, where the background establishes the context of the research and the problem formulation explains the relevance of the chosen topic. Further, the purpose and research questions demonstrate what will be explored in the research. Moreover, delimitations and key words are explained in detail in order to introduce the reader to the research field. 1.1 Background In a world affected by negative environmental impact, global climate change is one of society’s most urgent contemporary issues (Rose, Heller & Roberto, 2019). Hence, the effort of minimizing the environmental footprint of our planet for future generations is crucial. Currently, emissions of greenhouse gases coming as a result of human activities are the main cause of global warming (IPCC, 2018). Inevitably our planet has to manage the increasing population, and an associated side effect; an increase in consumption. The increase in food consumption is a big environmental issue (Godfray et al, 2010; Notarnicola, Tassielli, Renzulli, Castellani & Sala, 2017) as global food production contributes significantly to the earth’s greenhouse gas emissions (Garnett, 2011; Sabate & Soret, 2014). The necessity to fulfill the human need for nutrition, at the same time as managing the threat it poses to the environment, is by no means a challenge. The serious impact of food production on the environment implies the need for global strategies and efforts that ensure environmentally-friendly food production and consumption in order to reduce emissions (Gartner, 2011; Sabate & Soret, 2014; Wollenberg et al., 2016). Clearly, there is a need for a shift in consumption patterns (Assadourian, 2010). This shift includes moving away from the current levels of meat and dairy consumption since these are product categories that contribute to a high environmental burden (Gartner, 2011; Notarnicola et al., 2017). Plant- based alternatives can serve as more environmentally friendly options as they generally have a lower environmental footprint (Röös, Garnett, Watz & Sjörs, 2018). Hence, replacing a proportion of animal-based products with plant-based alternatives is one way of moving towards more environmentally sustainable consumption. 1 Not only are plant-based products more favorable for the climate, but with a growing market and increase in demand for sustainable products, businesses can take their environmental responsibility by offering and communicating these products to consumers and use it as a competitive advantage to make profit (Lubin & Esty, 2010). Plant-based product offerings are surely beneficial to both businesses and consumers. What inspired the topic of this thesis is the possibility to make a change towards a more environmentally friendly consumption, where this research sheds light on an emerging product category, namely plant-based dairy alternatives, which are non-dairy foods made by using soy, oats, almond, rice or coconut. These products can serve as options or substitutes for traditional dairy products. In the Swedish market, famous brands offering these plant-based products include Oatly, Alpro, Flora and Planti, among others. In this thesis, the plant-based dairy substitutes, or alternatives to dairy, include options to food such as milk, yogurt, cream, butter, cheese, and ice cream. When it comes to the challenge of fighting the environmental issues of today, consumers have an important part to play. As highlighted by Mainieri, Barnett, Valdero, Unipan & Oskamp (1997), consumers have an opportunity to help protect the planet by making conscious consumption choices. However, food choice is complex, and succeeding to shift consumption patterns in a more environmentally friendly direction requires a deeper understanding of the consumer. Two important concepts in consumer behavior are attitude and purchase intention (Ajzen, 1991) which are the first and vital steps towards forming behavior. For that reason, this research focuses on consumer attitudes and purchase intentions of plant-based dairy alternatives, for the selected target group that is Swedish consumers in the age of 22-30. Through 16 conducted interviews, attitudes and intentions of these consumers are explored, and the primary data collected from these is analyzed with the suggested research framework; an extension of Theory of Planned Behavior by Ajzen (1991). 1.2 Problem Definition The current food system contributes substantially to the total global greenhouse gas emissions (Gartner, 2011), and therefore poses a threat to the environment.