An exploratory investigation of college students' attitudes toward California's new menu-labeling law

Abstract

In March of 2009, business students at a large public university in the Los Angeles area were polled about their attitudes towards a new menu-labeling law that was about to be implemented in California. It was hypothesized that the students would be in favor of the law and that those in favor of it would be inclined to select healthier items on the menu. Moreover, it was hypothesized that the law would be favored more by females than males, and more by persons who perceive themselves as overweight than those who perceive themselves as average weight. Support was found for all of the hypotheses except for the one concerning a person's perceived weight status. A student's perceived weight status appears to have no effect on his or her reaction to the new menu-labeling law. The survey results indicate that menu-labeling will be effective in promoting better eating habits among college students who dine out.