How product attributes and consumer attitudes affect purchase prices of japonica rice in China

Abstract

This study focuses on japonica rice ( Oryza sativa L. ssp. japonica ) and examines how product attributes, consumer attitudes, consumer demographics, and regional differences influence different categories of the daily purchase prices of japonica rice in China. Online questionnaires were distributed to 492 respondents from the inland, coastal, and northern regions of China. The study applied an ordered logit regression and a multinomial logit regression to analyze the survey data and understand the differences among various categories based on purchase prices. Consumers with high income and educational levels, who are more concerned with the environment and their health and have greater trust in government supervision of rice quality, as well as inland consumers, are more likely to purchase high‐priced japonica rice, whereas the price factor has a negative relationship with such purchases. The results provide sufficient information to the japonica rice industry to expand its market and improve its profitability.