Price of health: how income, inflation perceptions and democracy satisfaction influence organic food choices

Abstract

Purpose: The main goal of the study was to examine the impact of sociodemographic factors and selected microeconomic and macroeconomic financial constructs on consumer behaviour and willingness to pay, in order to understand consumer behaviour and attitudes of consumers towards organic food and other organic foods. Design/methodology/approach: Data collection was carried out in the Czech Republic as a part of the Central European Media Observatory research in June 2024 on a sample of 4,000 respondents through the research agency MEDIAN. A total of 2,729 valid responses were obtained. The data was analysed through a combination of descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression. The aim was to identify statistically significant predictors of the perceived relationship between financial stability and individual health. Findings: The findings show that financial situation significantly influences consumer preferences, while higher-income households demonstrate greater willingness to pay premium for specific food products. Regression analysis reveals that socioeconomic factors such as age, size of residential area, economic status, frequency of Internet use, sufficient household income, perceptions of inflation and satisfaction with democracy define individuals' views on the relationship between financial stability and health. Originality/value: There has been no research conducted in the Czech Republic to reveal the factors influencing consumer decisions regarding the purchase of organic food. The study points out that scepticism about the price discount craziness for food in the Czech Republic persists and our study points out that even price discounts are not free.