Influence of Subjective Knowledge, Objective Knowledge and Health Consciousness on Olive Oil Consumption—A Case Study

Abstract

Unlike the case in Mediterranean countries, where olive oil consumption is driven by habit or tradition, in a population where olive oil consumption rates are considerably low, it appears reasonable to suppose that the initial decision to buy a fairly expensive product—as is the case with olive oil in the Uruguayan market—may result from an individual’s overall interest in health-related issues and/or their acquaintance with relevant nutritional properties of the particular product—in this case, olive oil. Consumer subjective and objective knowledge, interest in health-related issues, and demographic variables were studied for their potential relationship (explanatory capacity) with olive oil consumption frequency, using a sample of 256 inhabitants of Montevideo (Uruguay). Several of the studied variables were found to relate to olive oil consumption, such as subjective and objective knowledge, age, education level, marital status, and interest in health-related issues. Subjective knowledge was found to have the highest explanatory capacity. An increase in subjective knowledge is therefore expected to lead to an increase in consumption frequency among regular olive oil consumers, while it may also encourage less frequent or non-consumers to purchase olive oil and become acquainted with the product.