Predicting COVID-19 Risk Information-Seeking Behaviors in Relation to Food Purchasing Concerns

COVID-19 drastically altered the way consumers shopped for food as they had to adhere to recommendations for social distancing. However, the public has been divided across political parties in their assessment of the severity of COVID-19 and must filter through misinformation related to the pandemic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of human sciences and extension Vol. 11; no. 2; p. 1
Main Authors Ruth, Taylor, Settle, Quisto, Rumble, Joy N.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Mississippi State Mississippi State University, School of Human Sciences 01.01.2023
Mississippi State University
Subjects
Cognition
Consumer behavior
COVID-19
Data
Food
food purchases
Heuristic
Information processing
information seeking and processing
Information seeking behavior
Misinformation
pandemic
Pandemics
Personal safety
Political parties
Purchasing
Risk behavior
Risk communication
Risk factors
Risk perception
Shopping
United States > US
Oklahoma
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Summary:COVID-19 drastically altered the way consumers shopped for food as they had to adhere to recommendations for social distancing. However, the public has been divided across political parties in their assessment of the severity of COVID-19 and must filter through misinformation related to the pandemic to make informed choices for personal safety. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the influences on Oklahoma consumers’ risk information-seeking behaviors about COVID-19 within the context of risk perceptions while shopping for food. The Risk Information Seek and Processing (RISP) model and cultural cognition provided the framework for this study. An online instrument was distributed to Oklahoma consumers to collect quantitative data (n = 410). Respondents reported they were only slightly concerned while making food purchases and possessed moderately high knowledge about COVID-19. They also reported needing moderately high knowledge to make judgments about the issue. Additionally, the respondents engaged more often in systematic processing of COVID-19 information compared to heuristic processing, but neither agreed nor disagreed that they engaged in active information-seeking behaviors. The findings from this research provide Extension agents and agricultural communicators guidance for creating and researching risk communication during a pandemic in relation to food purchasing behaviors.
ISSN:2325-5226
2325-5226
DOI:10.55533/2325-5226.1474