Local food purchase behavior of U.S. consumers: Application of an extended theory of planned behavior and self-congruity theory

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the antecedents to the behavior to purchase local food by using the extended theory of planned behavior with additional considerations of moral aspects and self-congruity theory. Structural equation modeling was conducted and all hypothesized paths were analyzed. Although hypotheses were constructed based on direct correlations between variables, the study also looked into indirect and total effects on actual local food purchase in order to explain the model more comprehensively. Overall, the purchase of local food was found to be a multifaceted and dynamic decision-making process. In addition to the TPB variables, moral norm and self-congruity were found to influence consumers' local food purchase directly and indirectly, indicating that they were meaningful additions to the TPB model.