Influence of Food Attributes on Purchasing Behavior of Food Desert Residents in Eastern Greensboro, NC: Multidimensional Scaling Approach

Consumers purchase food because of the perceived nutritional advantages, taste, family, cultural preferences, and previous purchase habits. This study aims at using multidimensional scaling to identify the similarities and or dissimilarities between the variables:(1) Affordability and taste(2) High nutritional value/ high level of food hygiene and(3) Freshness/reasonable level of nutrition /food hygiene based on the underlying dimensions used by Eastern Greensboro residents in rating these variables. [1]We used a sampling protocol to determine the appropriate sample size for this study. Survey Sampling Incorporated, from whom we purchased the sample, used the sampling protocol to draw a random sample from the population of Eastern Greensboro, North Carolina. Trained enumerators collected data via telephone survey using the Survey Monkey platform.We used multidimensional Scaling to analyze and translate the data onto a perceptual map to facilitate visualization of the differences between the variables and to determine the dimensions underlying the observed orientation. Results show that food desert residents may be using the inferred underlying dimensions: 1) desirability and 2) accessibility to make judgement about the food attributes investigated in this study. Results further show that the variables: affordability/taste and high nutritional level/high level of food hygiene are closely oriented on the perceptual map. This implies that consumers may be using affordability/taste as proxy for high nutritional value/high level of food hygiene since it may be easier to recognize and assess the attribute taste/affordability than it is to recognize and assess high nutritional level/high level of food hygiene.