Buying vertically farmed produce: comparison of people with lower and higher stated purchase likelihood

Abstract

The study explored attitudinal and socio-demographic differences between potential buyers and non-buyers of lettuce grown in a vertical farming (VF) system. Data were collected from people (n = 2193) in four countries—United States, Germany, Singapore, and Australia. Survey results demonstrated a clear link between positive VF attitude and intention to buy, and similarly for negative attitude and intention to not buy. A key difference between people with “lower” and “higher” purchase likelihood (more or less than 50% probability) was that the former were consistently less positive about the benefits of VF. The consumer groups largely perceived the disadvantages of VF similarly. Socioeconomic differences between the consumer groups related to country of living and having children below the age of 18 living at home. The latter significantly increased the likelihood that consumers would classify a having “higher” purchase likelihood for VF-grown lettuce. German participants were less likely to have a “higher” purchase likelihood.