Enhancing our comprehension of the factors that shape the preferences of U.S. consumers is of utmost importance in fostering the economic viability of organic seafood industry. Therefore, a consumer survey was conducted in 2022 utilizing ’Qualtrics’ platform to investigate consumer preferences across ten U.S. Southern states. The survey encompassed approximately 200 participants per state, resulting in a total sample size of 2,129 individuals. Various statistical tools were employed in this analysis, including variance inflation factor, deemed acceptable if its value is below 10, and tolerance limit, considered acceptable if its value is below 0.05. Furthermore, forward and backward stepwise regression methods were utilized with a significance level set at 0.05 to identify influential variables. Subsequently, a multinomial logistic regression model was developed to examine factors impacting consumers’ purchasing behavior of organic seafood.
Figure. 1: Reasons for preferring organic seafood over regular food (source: current survey)
The findings revealed that individuals aged between 30 and 39 strongly preferred purchasing organic seafood. Conversely, older individuals aged 70 and above demonstrated a tendency to make occasional or no purchases of organic seafood. Moreover, individuals belonging to households with a size of 3 to 4 members and an annual family income ranging from $30,001 to $49,999 were more inclined to purchase a greater quantity of organic seafood products. Notably, some survey participants expressed minor reservations regarding the extent to which organic seafood is completely free from chemicals, pesticides, and antibiotics (Figure 1). This dissenting viewpoint suggests a belief that organic seafood may contain trace amounts of such substances. Additionally, occupation emerged as another influential variable, particularly among individuals employed in sales and marketing roles, influencing their purchasing behavior. In summary, this study shed light on key factors such as age, household size, income, concerns about chemical content, and occupational influence, which can guide businesses in catering to the preferences of their target market effectively.