Going for the plant-based (legen)dairy alternative? : An exploratory study on consumer attitudes and purchase intentions towards plant-based dairy alternatives

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Going for the plant-based

(legen)dairy alternative?

An exploratory study on consumer attitudes and purchase intentions towards

plant-based dairy alternatives

Master thesis within: Business Administration - Marketing Number of credits: 30 ECTS

Program of study: Civilekonom

Authors: Emma Rosenlöw & Tommie Hansson Tutor: Adele Berndt

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Master Thesis in Business Administration - Marketing

Title: Going for the plant-based (legen)dairy alternative? An exploratory study on consumer attitudes and purchase intentions towards plant-based dairy alternatives

Authors: Emma Rosenlöw & Tommie Hansson Tutor: Adele Berndt

Date: May 18, 2020

Key terms: Attitude, Environmental concern, Greenhouse gas, Health consciousness, Perceived behavioral control, Plant-based dairy substitutes, Purchase intention, Subjective norms

Abstract

Global food production, and consequently consumption, contributes significantly to total greenhouse gas emissions. Hence, there is a need for a shift towards more environmentally friendly consumption patterns. This includes moving away from current levels of dairy consumption, where plant-based alternatives can serve as more environmentally friendly options. This research sheds light on an emerging product category, namely plant-based dairy alternatives, which can serve as options or substitutes for traditional dairy products. The purpose of this thesis is to explore consumer attitudes and purchase intentions towards plant-based dairy alternatives, as well as the factors that influence attitudes and intentions respectively. To achieve an in-depth understanding of the topic, this study is of qualitative nature, using an abductive approach and interpretive philosophy. The primary data is collected through interviews with 16 consumers in the selected target group. Further, this research has developed a modified theory of planned behavior (TPB), to add to current consumer behavior research. The findings of this research show that the majority of the participants have a positive attitude and furthermore intention to purchase plant-based dairy alternatives. Furthermore, several factors influence consumer attitudes, which are subjective norms, health consciousness, taste, knowledge, environmental concern, animal treatment, and appearance. Moreover, purchase intention is affected by two factors, namely price, and curiosity.

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Acknowledgments

Firstly, we would like to express our sincerest gratitude to Adele Berndt, not only for constructively guiding us through the thesis process but also for providing an engaging education for us students aiming to work within the field of marketing. We have particularly appreciated her optimism, enthusiasm, and high competence throughout this time.

Secondly, we want to thank everyone who participated in our interviews and gave us highly valuable insights into the complex mind of the consumer. Without you, this research could not have been done.

Thirdly, a warm thank you to our families, friends, and fellow students for their support during these months, but also to each other for the time and effort put into this. It has been a challenging, yet valuable and rewarding, experience.

Jönköping International Business School May 18, 2020

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1. Introduction

This chapter presents the background, problem, and purpose of this thesis, where the background establishes the context of the research and the problem formulation explains the relevance of the chosen topic. Further, the purpose and research questions demonstrate what will be explored in the research. Moreover, delimitations and key words are explained in detail in order to introduce the reader to the research field.

1.1 Background

In a world affected by negative environmental impact, global climate change is one of society’s most urgent contemporary issues (Rose, Heller & Roberto, 2019). Hence, the effort of minimizing the environmental footprint of our planet for future generations is crucial. Currently, emissions of greenhouse gases coming as a result of human activities are the main cause of global warming (IPCC, 2018). Inevitably our planet has to manage the increasing population, and an associated side effect; an increase in consumption. The increase in food consumption is a big environmental issue (Godfray et al, 2010; Notarnicola, Tassielli, Renzulli, Castellani & Sala, 2017) as global food production contributes significantly to the earth’s greenhouse gas emissions (Garnett, 2011; Sabate & Soret, 2014). The necessity to fulfill the human need for nutrition, at the same time as managing the threat it poses to the environment, is by no means a challenge.

The serious impact of food production on the environment implies the need for global strategies and efforts that ensure environmentally-friendly food production and consumption in order to reduce emissions (Gartner, 2011; Sabate & Soret, 2014; Wollenberg et al., 2016). Clearly, there is a need for a shift in consumption patterns (Assadourian, 2010). This shift includes moving away from the current levels of meat and dairy consumption since these are product categories that contribute to a high environmental burden (Gartner, 2011; Notarnicola et al., 2017). Plant-based alternatives can serve as more environmentally friendly options as they generally have a lower environmental footprint (Röös, Garnett, Watz & Sjörs, 2018). Hence, replacing a proportion of animal-based products with plant-based alternatives is one way of moving towards more environmentally sustainable consumption.

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Not only are plant-based products more favorable for the climate, but with a growing market and increase in demand for sustainable products, businesses can take their environmental responsibility by offering and communicating these products to consumers and use it as a competitive advantage to make profit (Lubin & Esty, 2010). Plant-based product offerings are surely beneficial to both businesses and consumers. What inspired the topic of this thesis is the possibility to make a change towards a more environmentally friendly consumption, where this research sheds light on an emerging product category, namely plant-based dairy alternatives, which are non-dairy foods made by using soy, oats, almond, rice or coconut. These products can serve as options or substitutes for traditional dairy products. In the Swedish market, famous brands offering these plant-based products include Oatly, Alpro, Flora and Planti, among others. In this thesis, the plant-based dairy substitutes, or alternatives to dairy, include options to food such as milk, yogurt, cream, butter, cheese, and ice cream.

When it comes to the challenge of fighting the environmental issues of today, consumers have an important part to play. As highlighted by Mainieri, Barnett, Valdero, Unipan & Oskamp (1997), consumers have an opportunity to help protect the planet by making conscious consumption choices. However, food choice is complex, and succeeding to shift consumption patterns in a more environmentally friendly direction requires a deeper understanding of the consumer. Two important concepts in consumer behavior are attitude and purchase intention (Ajzen, 1991) which are the first and vital steps towards forming behavior. For that reason, this research focuses on consumer attitudes and purchase intentions of plant-based dairy alternatives, for the selected target group that is Swedish consumers in the age of 22-30. Through 16 conducted interviews, attitudes and intentions of these consumers are explored, and the primary data collected from these is analyzed with the suggested research framework; an extension of Theory of Planned Behavior by Ajzen (1991).

1.2 Problem Definition

The current food system contributes substantially to the total global greenhouse gas emissions (Gartner, 2011), and therefore poses a threat to the environment. Foley et al. (2011) recognize agriculture, including livestock production, as one of the largest contributors to negative environmental impact including overuse of freshwater resources, water pollution, extensive clearing of forests, and climate change. The products presenting the highest contribution to a negative environmental impact are meat and dairy products (Gartner, 2011; Notarnicola et al.,

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2017). More specifically, meat and dairy products are responsible for 14.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the world (Foley et al., 2011). Thus, there is indeed a need for a dietary shift away from meat and dairy products, and towards more sustainable eating patterns (Gartner, 2011; Hedenus, Wirsenius & Johansson, 2014).

Yet, the dairy industry is one of the largest sectors in the current food industry (Silanikove, Leitner & Merin, 2015) and according to OECD (2019), the world milk production is calculated to grow at 1.7% p.a. over the next decade, which is faster than other main agricultural commodities. Furthermore, the production of butter is expected to grow at 1.9%, and cheese at 1.2%. Overall, as a result of income and population growth, the total share of fresh dairy products, in a world of global consumption, expects to increase in the coming decade. World per capita consumption, driven by higher per-capita income growth, of fresh dairy products is calculated to a 1.0% p.a. increase, which compared to the past ten years is slightly faster. This does not support sustainable consumption initiatives. According to Pimentel and Pimentel (2003), plant-based food systems require less resources and are therefore more sustainable. Thus, replacing a proportion of animal-based food with based alternatives, such as plant-based dairy products, is one way of reducing the negative impact on the planet. To exemplify, dairy milk has the biggest environmental impact in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, land, and water usage, if compared to plant-based milk alternatives (Poore & Nemecek, 2018). Another drawback of dairy product consumption important to consider is the widespread lactose intolerance among the world adult population (Silanikove, Leitner & Merin, 2015) which is why plant-based dairy alternatives can also offer health benefits.

The role of plant-based dairy substitutes has indeed increased the past years, and it is possible to see a growing interest in these products (Jeske et al., 2018; OECD, 2019). There are several possible explanations for its emergence on the market, which includes discussions of the environmental impact and health aspects in relation to dairy products (OECD, 2019). However, several authors have shown that there still are high barriers preventing consumers to buy plant-based food (Hoek et al., 2011). In addition, the existing research on the replacement of dairy products with plant-based dairy substitutes is limited (Röös et al., 2018). More research is needed on plant-based milk alternatives (Sethi, Tyagi & Anurag, 2016). Furthermore, current literature in this field focuses mainly on milk substitutes, whereas not as much literature exists for other plant alternatives to dairy (Jeske et al., 2018). There is thus a need to further explore

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the more sustainable, plant-based, options with the aim to move towards a more environmentally friendly consumption.

1.3 Purpose and Research Questions

Consumers play an important role in the creation of an environmentally friendly food market. As replacing some of the dairy products consumption with plant-based alternatives is one way of reducing environmental footprint, it is of great interest to study consumers and what drives purchase intention towards this product category. Attitude and intention, as highlighted by Ajzen (1991), are two important factors to consider when trying to understand how consumer behavior is carried out. Hence,

The purpose of this thesis is to explore consumer attitudes and purchase intentions towards plant-based dairy alternatives, as well as the factors that influence attitudes and intentions respectively.

As Swedes are among the largest consumers of dairy products (Our World in Data, 2017), despite a market offering a lot of plant-based options within this category, the target group selected is consumers living in Sweden in the age of 22-30 years old. By exploring the different factors that influence people’s attitudes and furthermore purchase intention, this paper aims to fill the existing research gap in this field with relevant findings and increase the knowledge of consumer behavior formation. In a practical aspect, it also seeks to contribute to a more environmentally friendly consumption by highlighting the importance of increasing the consumption of plant-based alternatives and decreasing animal-based products. Hence, the research questions are stated as followed;

RQ1: What are the attitudes, and what factors influence attitudes towards plant-based alternatives to dairy products?

RQ2: What are the purchase intentions, and what factors influence intention to buy plant-based alternatives to dairy products?

1.4 Delimitations

This paper focuses on plant-based dairy alternatives exclusively, which can serve as options to traditional dairy. It further explores several products in this category. Therefore, conclusions

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can be drawn only about these products and not all plant-based food. The research is also limited to the exploration of attitudes and intentions but not actual purchase behavior. However, the findings hope to be of use contributing to a general understanding of consumer attitude and intention and to guide further research within the topic of plant-based food. Moreover, since the empirical data collected for this study is limited to the Swedish market for plant-based dairy alternatives and the attitudes and intentions of Swedish consumers in the age of 22-30, this should be considered if wanting to use the findings for the purpose of exploring another target group. The targeted consumers have been selected due to convenience, time, and resource constraints, as well as Swedes’ large consumption of dairy products.

1.5 Definitions of Key Terms

Attitude: “The degree to which a person has a favorable or unfavorable evaluation or appraisal

of the behavior in question.” (Ajzen, 1991, p.188) “A lasting, general evaluation of people (including oneself), objects, advertisements or issues.” (Solomon, 2006, p. 138).

Environmental concern: “A general attitude toward environmental protection.” (Chen &

Tung, 2014, p. 224).

Greenhouse gas: “Greenhouse gas (GHG) – a gas in the atmosphere that absorbs and emits

radiation within the thermal infrared range, hence contributing to the greenhouse effect, and consequently global warming or climate change” (Ma, Balthasar, Tait, Riera-Palou & Harrison, 2012, p.160)

Health consciousness: “health consciousness refers to the external characteristics of how a

person’s health is taken care of” (Jayanti & Burns, 1998, p. 10)

Perceived behavioral control: “refers to people’s perception of the ease or difficulty of

performing the behavior of interest. (Ajzen, 1991, p. 183).

Plant-based dairy substitutes: Plant-based food that can be used as options to traditional dairy,

such as alternatives to milk, yogurt, butter, cheese, cream, or ice cream. These can be made by for example soy, oats, almond, rice, and coconut. (Jeske, Zannini & Arendt, 2018).

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Purchase Intention: “assumed to capture the motivational factors that influence a behavior”

(Ajzen, 1991, p. 181).

Subjective norms: “refers to the perceived social pressure of to perform or not to perform the

behavior” (Ajzen, 1991, p. 188) or “the perception of how others see an individual’s action.” (Chao, 2012, p. 438).

1.6 Thesis Disposition

This thesis begins with an introduction to the topic, including current food production and consumption, and the explored product category, plant-based alternatives to dairy. It also serves as a short presentation of what aspects of consumer behavior this thesis focuses on. Further, the frame of reference includes the literature review in the field of environmental sustainability, statistics on different food production, the explored food category, and then an explanation of the theory in consumer behavior. The method and methodology explain how the research was conducted as well as the rationale of the thesis, or the lens through which the analysis occurs. This is followed by the empirical findings of the research which includes the findings from the interviews in relation to consumer attitude, intention, and the underlying factors. Subsequently, the analysis connects these findings to the theoretical framework. Lastly, the conclusion answers the research questions and provides theoretical, managerial as well as societal implications of this research.

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2. Frame of Reference

This chapter presents a review of existing literature relevant to the topic. Further, it highlights theories of the underlying research in the form of relevant consumer behavior theory, which consequently forms the theoretical background. Lastly, it presents the suggested theoretical framework.

2.1 Environmental Sustainability

Global climate change is one of the most urgent present issues (Rose, Heller & Roberto, 2019), and according to IPCC (2018) emissions of greenhouse gases that come as a result of human activities are the main cause of global warming. In addition to climate change, the world is suffering from land degradation, freshwater shortages, water pollution, and a loss of biodiversity (Rose et al., 2019). Hence, sustainability, especially in the environmental aspect, has become a highly important topic in society, not least for consumers. It is, indeed, seen as a trend (Lubin & Esty, 2010). This is further depicted by McDonagh and Prothero (2014), stating that as more people become aware of the environmental challenges of today, consumers are convinced that they can contribute to a more sustainable consumption by changing their buying behavior. Subsequently, from a business perspective, environmental sustainability can be used as a key competence in the creation of superior value, especially in a highly competitive market (Flint & Golicic, 2009; Lubin & Esty, 2010).

2.2 Environmental Impact of Food Consumption

According to Garnett (2011), more than a third of the world’s land surface is occupied by global food production. Food production for the means of human consumption has, thus, a significant impact on emissions, especially for industrialized agricultural practices (Sabate & Soret, 2014). As highlighted by Poore and Nemecek (2018), the food industry is responsible for 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Wollenberg et al. (2016) also stress the issues of global warming and the need for more efforts on reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, something that is crucial in order to meet the desired 2 °C limit by 2030. However, according to OECD (2019), the demand for agricultural products is expected to grow by 15% in the coming decade.

In 2018, the population growth was calculated to be approximately 1.1% based on data collected by The World Bank (2019). With the increase in population, it is evident that all food

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production impacts the environment in one way or another, still, it is crucial to make efforts to minimize the negative effects. Thus, in order to decrease the current environmental impact, there is a need for a shift towards more environmentally friendly food production and consumption (Assadourian, 2010; Gartner, 2011; Sabate & Soret, 2014; Wollenberg et al., 2016).

In comparison to plant-based food, meat and dairy products stand for a large part of natural resource utilization and environmental burden of the total food production (Sabate & Soret, 2014; Stoll-Kleemann & O'Riordan, 2015; Poore & Nemecek, 2018). Furthermore, Caro, Davis, Bastianoni and Caldeira (2014) highlight details on livestock production and the related emissions, where beef and dairy cattle stand for the majority, more specifically 74%, of the total global livestock emissions. In a study of environmental impacts of food consumption in Europe, Notarnicola et al. (2017) highlight meat and dairy products as the product categories contributing to the highest environmental burden. Moreover, many authors in this field focus on meat consumption and few focuses on dairy products only. Rather, other types of animal products such as dairy are often mentioned and measured together with meat. However, large consumption of both meat and dairy imposes a threat to the environment (Stoll-Kleemann &

O'Riordan, 2015; Poore & Nemecek, 2018). Thus, if succeeding to meet the climate change targets, a reduction of both meat and dairy consumption is fundamental (Gartner, 2011; Hedenus et al., 2014).

2.3 Plant-based Dairy Alternatives

The current food market offers a lot of options and as stressed by Mainieri, Barnett, Valdero, Unipan, and Oskamp (1997), through conscious choices it is possible for consumers to help protect our planet’s natural resources and prevent further damage. Aiming for an environmentally sustainable future, there is a need for a reduction of the consumption of meat and dairy by big parts of the world’s population (Gartner, 2011; Sabate & Soret, 2014; Stoll-Kleemann & O'Riordan, 2015; Poore & Nemecek, 2018). There are several plant-based options for both meat and dairy that are considered more environmentally sustainable. In the market of plant-based dairy substitutes, it is possible to find non-dairy alternatives to milk, yogurt, butter, cheese, and ice cream that are not animal-based but rather made of soy, oats, almond, rice or coconut. According to Jeske et al. (2018), plant-based dairy substitutes also meet the increasing demand for healthy and vegan food.

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Both animal-based and plant-based food systems are to some extent based on fossil energy requirements, however, plant-based food systems require less resources (Pimentel & Pimentel, 2003). Replacing meat and dairy-based foods by plant-based foods would benefit the environment by decreasing land use (Temme et al., 2013). Therefore, plant-based food can be used as sustainable options to traditional food. Comparing dairy products and plant-based dairy products in terms of environmental impact, it is possible to see that dairy products generally have a higher environmental footprint per unit mass, compared to plant-based alternatives in regard to greenhouse gas emission, land use, energy use, nitrogen footprint, eutrophication and acidification potential. To exemplify, Röös, Patel, and Spångberg (2016) compare the environmental impacts of dairy milk and oat drink production on Swedish farms. They concluded that climate impact can be reduced by producing oat drink instead of dairy milk.

Further, Poore and Nemecek (2018) highlight that all plant drinks are more environmentally friendly than milk coming from cows. They differ substantially in regard to greenhouse gas emissions, land impact, and water impact. More specifically, all plant drink varieties have a similarly low usage of land, where almond milk has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions followed by oat drinks and soy drink. Table 1 shows the total land use and the amount of GHG emissions per liter of the different products produced.

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Regarding water use, almond drink has the highest impact, but oat and soy drinks require the least water usage. Table 2 shows the total water usage for one liter of the different products produced.

Table 2: Water usage of milk and plant-based milk alternatives (Poore & Nemecek, 2018)

Plant-based milk has further been recognized as a fast-growing segment and a growing trend (Sethi et al., 2016). The range of dairy alternatives is furthermore growing (Mäkinen, Wanhalinna, Zannini & Arendt, 2015), and the demand for plant-based alternatives to milk and other dairy products is indeed increasing (Wansink, Sonka, Goldsmith, Chiriboga, & Eren, 2005). Nevertheless, there is an unwillingness of the mainstream consumer to buy food that is unfamiliar and unappealing to them. The quality of these products has increased, but according to Wansink et al. (2005), it carries a stigma due to previous products that have been less appealing.

In addition, several authors have recognized nutritional concerns in relation to the product category (Jeske et al., 2018; Röös et al., 2018), and stressed that these products can indeed replace and complement dairy products and reduce environmental impact but since there are differences in nutrition, this aspect should be considered for such a switch. It has been recognized that despite that the energy content is fairly similar between plant-based alternatives

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and dairy milk, those that are plant-based generally contain a lower amount of protein but have similar amounts of carbohydrates. Oat drinks contain considerably more carbohydrates, and soy drinks contain similar amounts of protein, in comparison to cow’s milk (Röös et al., 2018).

Further, considering that 75% of the people in the adult world population are lactose intolerant (Silanikove, Leitner & Merin, 2015) the plant-based non-dairy alternatives can beneficially be used as more healthy options for many consumers. To bring an example, as depicted by Röös et al., (2016), oat drink is not milk. Hence, if and to what extend oat drinks or other plant-based milk alternatives can serve as substitutes to dairy milk in nutritional terms is depended on what a person’s diet as a whole is comprised. On the extreme end, if milk is an individual’s primary source of calcium and protein, turning to plant-based unfortified plant-based drinks might lead to protein deficiency. On the other hand, protein consumption is generally high in the developed world (Westhoek et al., 2011) and many of the plant-based dairy alternatives are in fact fortified with critical nutrients. Therefore, a large part of the population has the possibility to replace dairy milk with plant-based alternatives without any negative health implications. Clearly, a direct replacement of a specific dairy product with a plant-based alternative is highly individual and context-specific.

The market of plant-based dairy substitutes, and associated research, is expanding rapidly with new products and new consumer interests. These products are indeed gaining in popularity as there is an increase in demand (McCarthy et al., 2017; Jeske et al., 2018; Röös et al., 2018). More specifically, while soy is currently the most popular crop, other plants are trending, and the variety of these products is growing (Jeske et al., 2018). This market development is said to be a result of several aspects including an interest in alternative diets, changes in lifestyle, and increasing awareness of sustainable production of food. The majority of the consumers choosing plant-based dairy substitutes out of necessity, but rather due to preference. The market is furthermore likely to shift towards plant-based and allergy-free products. However, the market is in its infancy and in need of progress (Jeske et al., 2018).

2.4 Understanding Consumer Attitudes and Intentions

Attitude and intention are two significant variables to consider when seeking to understand how consumer behavior is formed, where positive attitudes towards a particular product or brand increase the likelihood of purchase intention and furthermore actual purchase (Ajzen, 1991).

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Attitude: “the degree to which a person has a favorable or unfavorable evaluation or appraisal of the behavior in question.” (Ajzen, 1991, p.188).

Purchase intention: “assumed to capture the motivational factors that influence a behavior”. (Ajzen, 1991, p. 181).

2.4.1 The Theory of Planned Behavior

Highlighted in the theory of reasoned action (TRA) are the variables attitude and subjective norms as predictors of intention. Further, intention is as depicted by the authors seen as the best single predictor of behavior. Just as in the TRA, which the theory of planned behavior (TPB) stems from, intention to perform a given behavior is a central factor. The stronger the intention to perform the behavior the higher is the likelihood of the performance. Intentions are said to capture the motivational factors influencing behavior, in other words it shows how hard people are willing to try for the means of performing the behavior (Ajzen, 1991).

However, in contrast to the TRA it enables researchers to deal with behaviors over that people do not have complete volitional control. According to the TPB, intentions are based on three components: attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Here, attitude is referred to as the degree to which someone has a favorable or unfavorable evaluation of a certain behavior (Ajzen 1991). According to Solomon (2006, p. 138), an attitude is “A lasting, general evaluation of people (including oneself), objects, advertisements or issues.” Attitude is one of the most studied and applied behavioral constructs. Still, as stated by Solomon (2006) attitudes towards an object can be the same for two people despite different reasons.

Ajzen (1991) further explains that subjective norms is a social factor related to the perceived social pressure of performing, or not performing, the behavior. As put by Chao (2012) subjective norm is the perception of how others see an individual’s action. Solomon et al. (2006) discusses social pressure and points out that many of people’s decisions are, in fact, not done in isolation. Rather, what an individual believes that others want them to do is often more relevant than the individual preference, even though many people do not want to admit it. Subjective norms is thus added as an element to explain the effects of what one believes other people think they should do. Subjective norms is in turn affected by the intensity of normative

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belief that is if others think an action should be or not be taken, but also the motivation to comply which is how much someone takes others’ anticipated reactions into account when evaluating whether or not to buy something (Solomon, 2006).

Further, perceived behavioral control refers to the perceived ease or difficulty to perform a behavior. This is said to capture previous experience and anticipated impediments and obstacles. As a general rule, it is possible to say that the more favorable the attitude and subjective norm in relation to the behavior, as well as the greater the perceived behavioral control, the stronger is the consumer’s intention to perform the behavior under consideration (Ajzen, 1991). However, in some instances only attitude is an important factor, while sometimes subjective norms or perceived behavioral control play an important role for intention. The value of these three factors can vary based on the situation, behavior, or population (Ajzen, 1991; Fishbein & Ajzen, 2010).

Subjective norms: “refers to the perceived social pressure to perform or not to perform the behavior”. (Ajzen, 1991, p. 188).

Perceived behavioral control: “refers to people’s perception of the ease or difficulty of performing the behavior of interest. (Ajzen, 1991, p. 183).

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2.4.2 Extension of the TPB Model by Current Literature

The TBP has been widely discussed for being one of the most influential theories in regard to the prediction of reasoned behaviors (Sheppard, Hartwick & Warshaw, 1988; Rivis & Sheeran, 2003; Smith et al., 2008; Manning, 2009), but it has also been criticized. For example, Dunn, Mohr, Wilson, and Wittert (2011) highlight the TPB model as an important framework when predicting behavior in general. In the attempt to predict more complex behaviors, such as food choices, it however does not necessarily capture all aspects. An explanation to this might be that a lot of research has not focused on exploring the nature of the behavioral beliefs of individuals. It is argued that this is utterly important, as attitudes, intentions, and behavior are best altered when such beliefs are understood in depth (Dunn et al., 2011).

Despite the support for the TPB-model in current research, it has also been noted that there is less support for normative factors in attitude-behavior relations (Smith et al., 2008). Furthermore, the causal path between subjective norms and attitude, recognized by several authors (Chang, 1998; Povey, Conner, Sparks, James & Shepherd, 2000; Tarkiainen & Sundqvist, 2005), has been neglected in many previous studies using the TPB model. Several authors have developed modified TPB models, emphasizing different factors that affect attitude and intention. Including additional constructs to the original model have shown to improve the predictive power of the theoretical framework (Chang, 1998; Tarkiainen & Sundqvist, 2005; Yadav & Pathak, 2016). Tarkiainen and Sundqvist (2005) are among the researchers presenting an extension of the TPB model, here in a study of Finnish consumers and their intention to buy organic food. They explore several factors affecting consumer attitude and intention. Noticeably, they explore subjective norms and its relationship with attitude. They also highlight that a positive attitude does not automatically lead to a positive purchase intention as there can be obstacles that prevent this.

Seeing that their study is quite similar to this, where Finnish and Swedish citizens are both consumers in Nordic countries, which in general have many similarities (Einarsson, 2008) and that the complexity of food choice in relation to consumer attitudes and purchase intention is explored, the authors of this thesis find this study relevant to consider and use when developing a modified TPB model which explores attitudes and intentions towards plant-based dairy alternatives. Also, by taking subjective norms and health consciousness into account for attitude, and the importance of price and availability for purchase intention, using the work by

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Tarkiainen and Sundqvist (2005) as a base for the development of the proposed i.e. suggested research framework was perceived suitable.

Figure 3: Extended TPB-model by Tarkiainen and Sundqvist (2005)

By exploring the relationships between subjective norms, attitudes, and intention through structural equation modeling, they found that the role of subjective norms differed from the original TPB model in the sense that subjective norms affected intention indirectly through attitude formation. In other words, subjective norms and attitudes were found to not be independent, but rather dependent on each other. Ultimately, they found that the modified TPB model was better for predicting purchase intention for that product category (Tarkiainen & Sundqvist, 2005).

Regarding the other factors included in the model, the results where diverse. Unlike several other studies (Irianto, 2015; Sethi et al., 2016; Yadav & Pathak, 2016), Tarkiainen and Sundqvist (2005) found health consciousness to not have a meaningful impact on attitudes and furthermore intentions for that specific product category, which was organic bread and flour. Rather, they found taste and knowledge to be contributing factors to attitude, and price and availability not to be significant for purchase intention. As depicted by the authors it can, however, not be expected to explain consumer behavior for all other product categories, as the research included only that specific category of food. Their findings further show that results

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can differ depending on study and product. Tarkiainen and Sundqvist (2005) stressed the complexity in explaining consumer intentions, and thus behavior, in relation to food because of the many influencing factors. This paves way for research on consumer attitudes and intentions for the product category of plant-based dairy alternatives, using their study as support when structuring the modified TPB model of this thesis.

2.5 The Suggested Research Framework

With the evident benefits of existing research on the topic, current literature is in this thesis serving as a foundation for the understanding of attitudes and intentions as consumer behavior concepts. However, since current research lacks in exploring several products in the category of plant-based dairy substitutes (Röös et al., 2018), and since making an extended version of the TPB model has shown to be successful (Chang, 1998; Tarkiainen & Sundqvist, 2005; Yadav & Pathak, 2016) the authors found it relevant to modify the TPB model, adjust it to the product category and add new factors supported by current literature. Thus, to explore the complexity of consumer attitudes and intentions, in this instance towards plant-based dairy substitutes, the researchers of this thesis have developed a modified TPB model with some changes as well as added constructs to the original model. The model is based on current literature presented in the previous discussion, following the one by Tarkiainen and Sundqvist (2005), and includes two additional factors. To be able to find all important factors affecting attitudes and intentions, the findings from the collection of primary data will be implemented to and analyzed by, the proposed research framework. To clarify, the primary focus of the model is not on the purchase behavior itself, but on attitudes and intentions. To predict consumer behavior, exploring the different factors that affect purchase intention is a first and vital step.

Attitudes: As in the original TPB-model by Ajzen (1991), attitude is an important variable to study. The role of attitudes and what influences consumer attitudes have been discussed by several authors. In the field of consumer behavior research, authors have focused on the effects of marketing variables, where the influence of external stimuli, such as advertising, product placement, or direct selling on purchasing decisions has been studied. These purchasing decisions, as well as how people evaluate and compare products, are called attitudes (Smith et al., 2008). In the suggested research framework of this thesis, attitude is suggested to be

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influenced by five factors, namely subjective norms, health consciousness, taste, knowledge, and environmental concern.

Subjective norms: As previously mentioned, subjective norms and its important relation to attitudes have been recognized by several authors (Chang, 1998; Povey et al., 2000; Tarkiainen & Sundqvist 2005). Explained by Ajzen (1991) it is the degree of social pressure felt by a person in regard to a certain behavior. In other words, it is the perceived opinions of significant others, that is people who are close or important to someone, and that influences their decision making. This also includes feelings of social pressure from other people and groups (Ajzen, 1991). It has been suggested that experiencing social pressure by peers could explain intention to buy, despite a rather negative personal attitude and that the societal norm can be more important than the consumer’s opinion (Vermeir & Verbeke 2006). Therefore, the proposed model includes subjective norms in an attempt to understand if consumers in the selected target group are affected by social pressure and the opinions of others when it comes to plant-based dairy substitutes. In this thesis, subjective norms refer to family, friends, and social media that might influence the consumer.

Health consciousness: Consumers trying to eat healthily has shown to be an important influence on food choice (Lennernäs et al., 1997; Irianto, 2016; Yadav & Pathak, 2016). For this product category, it has been suggested by researchers that lactose intolerance and allergies are of great importance (Wansink et al., 2005; McCarthy et al., 2017; Jeske et al., 2018) as a large part of the adult population is lactose intolerant (Silanikove, Leitner & Merin, 2015).

Moreover, it has been shown that losing weight, and living healthier are among the drivers to eat plant-based food (Hoek et al., 2011) and that health and wellness benefits are reasons for people buying them (Jeske et al., 2018). For example, Mäkinen et al. (2015) recognize a growing number of consumers choosing plant-based milk substitutes because of medical reasons which would include lactose intolerance and cow’s milk allergy. Also, perception of nutrition is considered to be a possible influencing factor for consumer attitudes towards these products. This is based on research suggesting that many consumers are neglecting plant-based dairy alternatives due to the perception of them not having the same amount of nutrition, especially in terms of low protein and calcium (Mäkinen et al., 2015). However, it has also been suggested that plant-based milk alternatives attract health-conscious consumers (Sethi et

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the findings of Tarkiainen and Sundqvist (2005), as those findings concern another food category.

Taste: Another factor that Tarkiainen and Sundqvist (2005) found to affect attitude was taste. Several authors have recognized the importance of taste in food choice (Lennernäs et al., 1997; Tarkiainen & Sundqvist, 2005; Kourouniotis et al., 2016). Moreover, Wansink et al. (2005) depict the importance of sensory appeal which is one of the main issues for consumers considering replacing animal-based food with plant-based food, as when the products first entered the market the taste was not appreciated which was remembered by many consumers. Conforming to Jeske et al. (2018) more research is needed on sensory acceptance of plant-based dairy substitutes, which adds to the reason for including it as a factor in the suggested research framework.

Knowledge: Knowledge about the products has also been found to be an important factor influencing food consumption (Tarkiainen & Sundqvist, 2005), and it has furthermore been suggested that information and promotion campaigns should focus more on promotion so that consumers can increase their knowledge and expertise for the products in question (Pieniak, Aertsens & Verbeke 2010). The suggested model, therefore, includes knowledge as a factor, in order to explore whether this factor is influencing consumers in the age of 22-30 and their attitude towards plant-based dairy products.

Environmental concern: Additionally, the modified model of this thesis includes a fifth factor, namely environmental concern. Environmental concern is recognized as an important factor for attitude in food choice (Irianto, 2016) and is referred to as a general attitude toward environmental protection. This is an essential determinant of making consumers change their consumption patterns to become more environmentally friendly (Kim & Choi (2005). Concern about the environment is indeed essential in environmental research (Hines et al., 1987) which shows the importance of including environmental concern in the proposed model. Current literature suggests that the perception of a less negative impact on the environment is one of the key factors contributing to the consumption of plant-based non-dairy products (Hoek et al., 2011; McCarthy et al., 2017).

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Figure 4: Factors suggested to influence attitude

Intention: Besides exploring the most important factors influencing attitudes towards plant-based dairy substitutes, there are two factors included in the model suggested to independently influence purchase intention. In line with the study by Tarkiainen and Sundqvist (2005) the importance of price and the perception of availability can be seen as two factors that might explain why a positive attitude does not lead to a positive purchase intention. In the suggested research framework of this thesis, intention is therefore suggested to be influenced by two factors, namely price and availability

As presented in the study by Tarkiainen and Sundqvist (2005), price and availability are seen as obstacles that the consumer cannot control, as opposed to other researchers that classify them as perceived behavioral control factors (Ajzen, 1991). Seeing the different classifications of price and availability, this thesis has chosen to be in line with the study by Tarkiainen and Sundqvist (2005). Hence, it follows the view where price and availability are factors suggested to independently affect intention, in order to explore whether or not these factors might limit

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consumer purchases despite positive attitudes. That is, to clarify, why perceived behavioral control is not included as in the original TPB model.

Price: As price has shown to be an important factor influencing food choice (Lennernäs et al., 1997), and it has been suggested to be a barrier for plant-based food choice (Hoek et al., 2005) it will be explored whether or not it is an influencing factor for the target group in this research, and if it directly influences purchase intention toward plant-based dairy alternatives. Several authors talk about price sensitivity

Availability: Vermeir and Verbeke (2006) found that low perceived availability of sustainable products could be a reason to why intention to buy the products are low, despite positive attitudes. Tarkiainen and Sundqvist (2005) however found that high availability does not have a positive effect on purchase intention. The proposed research framework in this thesis explores whether these products are available to the selected target group and if they are not, whether this is an obstacle to a positive purchase intention.

Figure 5: Factors suggested to influence purchase intention

As current research is conflicting in explaining the relationship between attitude and purchase intention (Tarkiainen & Sundqvist, 2005), it will be explored if a positive attitude towards plant-based dairy alternatives leads to a positive purchase intention for the selected target group. Based on the previous discussion of research in the field, the suggested research framework, accordingly, explores the relationship between attitude and intention. Further, it explores the factors suggested to influence attitude which, that is, subjective norms, health

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consciousness, taste, knowledge, and environmental concern as well as the factors suggested to influence intention which is price and availability. The purpose of the model is to see whether these factors can be applied to consumers between 22-30 and in regard to plant-based dairy alternatives.

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3. Methodology

This chapter presents the chosen research methodology as well as the gathering of data. The different types of research methods are explained, and the types of data collection are analyzed to find a suitable strategy for the topic of this research. Furthermore, this thesis follows a consumer perspective for the means of creating a better understanding of the individual’s perspective.

3.1 Research Philosophy

The term research philosophy is used to explain how an individual’s perceptions and views impact the choice of knowledge development (Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill, 2016). It is of importance that the choice of research philosophy has been well-considered, since it affects the latter steps in the methodology, such as the method and the research strategy used during the research. There are four main research philosophies, namely: pragmatism, positivism, realism, and interpretivism. These four philosophies differ in terms of assumptions, epistemological, ontological, and axiological. In order to establish credible research, the researchers should be consistent and aware of the assumptions being taken, as this will help with determining and understand the research questions. It also makes the data collection, the method, and the overall research strategy more coherent (Saunders et al., 2016).

Based on the goal of this study which is to explore consumers’ attitudes and intentions towards plant-based dairy products, the collected data will consist of human insights to help the researchers fulfill the given research purpose. Therefore, the researchers of this study have chosen to adopt the philosophy of interpretivism which is one of the four most commonly used philosophies within this type of research, since it can be related to a study of social phenomena in the natural environment of the consumers (Saunders et al., 2016).

Interpretivism uses social interaction as the foundation for knowledge, in which the researchers use their social abilities to try and understand how others view the phenomena being investigated (O’donoghue, 2006). Further, the interpretive approach also holds the advantage with the ability to address the meaning and complexity in consumption-related situations (Black, 2006), and which is the purpose of this study. Additionally, interpretivism follows a subjective approach on the basis that it focuses on complexity, richness, and multiple interpretations, which allows for more depth in the ongoing study (Saunders et al., 2016).

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3.2 Research Approach

With the decided research philosophy, the researchers’ next step is to determine what approach to adopt that is most suitable for the following research. The research ‘onion’ made by Saunders et al. (2016) shows that there are three different types of approaches. The first two, and most commonly used approaches, are deductive and inductive reasoning. With deductive reasoning, a theory and a hypothesis are created, followed by the collection of data, which then is tested to reach the conclusion of the research. On the contrary, with inductive reasoning, the process involves developing a new theory and hypothesis based on the data collected.

Furthermore, the research approach is connected to the various research philosophies, where deductive reasoning is most commonly used with a positivistic philosophy and quantitative research, and the inductive reasoning with an interpretive philosophy using qualitative research. Considering that the researchers in this thesis are conducting a qualitative study, the deductive research approach will not be used. Although inductive reasoning is connected with interpretivism and qualitative studies, this thesis will adopt the third approach, which is abductive reasoning.

Abductive reasoning works as a combination of the other two perspectives. It shares similarities of deductive reasoning as theories are created by the use of existing literature, but also allows for new interpretations of empirical data to develop generalizable conclusions as with inductive reasoning (Haig, 2006; Saunders et al., 2016). According to Suddaby (2006), this approach is favored by researchers when moving between empirical findings while also comparing and reinterpreting already existing literature. Saunders et al. (2016) insist that the abductive approach indeed is more flexible in terms of qualitative data collection, and with a structure that allows for changes of research as the study progresses.

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Figure 7: Abductive research approach

The researchers of this study found the abductive reasoning approach to be the most appropriate based on the purpose of the study, which is to explore what factors are affecting consumers’ attitudes and intentions, as well as the lack of research of the product category of plant-based dairy alternatives. With the use of existing literature, the authors of this thesis create a model based on current literature, and if finding new information in the collection of primary data, there is a reconstruction of the suggested model. As mentioned in the theoretical framework, several researchers have found extended TPB-models to be more effective than the original one (Tarkiainen & Sundqvist, 2005; Yadav & Pathak, 2016). Thus, the abductive research approach is considered relevant to follow.

The empirical data gathered is intended to be tested qualitatively against the model to explore if the factors share any similarities. Furthermore, the abductive reasoning will help the researchers to adequately answer the research questions since it allows for a combination of different approaches that are normally considered separately (Haig, 2006).

3.3 Research Design

The research design provides an overall plan for conducting a study as it connects the research problem to the obtaining of relevant empirical data. Particularly, the design helps to form a

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framework for the empirical data collection and analysis. There are a variety of different research designs but the three most commonly used are exploratory, descriptive, and explanatory research (Ghauri & Grønhaug, 2010). Exploratory research is primarily used when investigating a phenomenon to which knowledge is limited and to where deeper understanding is of interest. In descriptive research, however, the problem itself is clearly understood so the goal is to answer questions to what causes it. The function of the third design, explanatory research, is to answer questions by measuring the effectiveness of already known phenomena (Ghauri et al., 2010; Saunders et al., 2016).

For this study an exploratory design was adopted for the purpose of gathering the needed empirical data in order to reach the goal of this study, a goal that consists of a desire to explore what could be the factors affecting the attitudes and intentions of consumers regarding plant-based substitutes to dairy products. Furthermore, exploratory research allows for a more flexible study, where new data can alter the course of outcome (Ghauri et al., 2010). Seeing the research questions and the goal of this study, as well as the possibility to interpret the data gathered in a field in need of better understanding, the exploratory research design is favorable.

3.4 Research Strategy

To establish a solid foundation for the methodology, the first step for the researcher is to develop a research strategy. The chosen strategy is set to guide and help the researcher answer the set research questions while it also connects the research philosophy and the methods used to collect and analyze the empirical data. Two well-known and frequently used strategies are qualitative and quantitative methods. The difference between the two is significant in the way of how to obtain the desired data.

The quantitative method is mostly associated with a deductive approach where the goal is to test data against existing theories (Saunders et al., 2016). This method is used to collect data in numerical form in order to perform a variety of statistical analyses (Williams, 2007). This study, however, is not putting any emphasis on numerical data, but rather words from a carefully selected group in order to gain a deeper understanding of the research questions. Thus, a quantitative method is not applicable to this study. With that in mind, the researches will be using a qualitative method seeing its ability to grant more in-depth knowledge (Saunders et al., 2016).

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A qualitative method primarily collects data from words and emphasizes the discovery of new information. The qualitative method allows the researchers to use interviews for data collection, which gives the benefit of high involvement in the matter itself (Williams, 2007). The interpretive philosophy is commonly associated with this method seeing that the researchers need to make sense of and interpret the newly received information about the phenomena being studied (Saunders et al., 2016).

3.5 Data Collection

3.5.1 Interviews as Primary Data

As the primary source for empirical data collection, the authors have decided to conduct interviews. An interview is an interaction between the researcher and the respondent, usually taking place in person, but can also be held online through different communication programs (Ghauri et al., 2010). Interviews are most commonly used in qualitative, exploratory studies since it allows the researchers to discover underlying reasons to attitudes, motivations, beliefs, and intentions on a specific topic. It also provides the advantage of interpreting the data given during an interview to arrive at a deeper understanding, rather than looking at stated facts.

There are three types of structures to interviews, they can either be structured, unstructured, or semi-structured. A structured interview can be compared to a normal survey, where questions are pre-determined and where the answers are stated in a standardized format. However, an unstructured interview has no predetermined questions and follow little to no structure. Nonetheless, it is of importance that the interviewer has a good idea about what to explore.

Furthermore, an unstructured interview is also known as an in-depth interview seeing the desire of a researcher to gain in-depth knowledge about a general topic in which the researchers’ interest lies. The third type, semi-structured interviews, typically have a few key questions that need to be covered. The structure of the interview may vary due to the natural flow of the conversation, more questions could be added based on responses from the interviewee, and some could be removed, and or rephrased. The purpose of a semi-structured interview is to encourage a discussion about the topic so that the data can be captured either on a recording

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device or written notes, that later can be analyzed (Saunders et al., 2016) Based on the purpose of this study, a semi-structured type of interview will be used.

The two most frequently used qualitative research methods are interviews and focus groups. An interview follows a structure that is personal and direct and also lets the researchers question one participant at a time, while focus groups usually consist of 6-12 participants interviewed at once (Malhotra, Birks & Wills, 2012). An advantage with using interviews instead of focus groups is that it allows the researchers to explore a topic in greater depth and gain more insight on the basis that the issue can be concentrated and developed directly with one individual, which is of rare occurrence in a focus group (Malhotra et al., 2012).

According to Saunders et al. (2016), interviews also allow the researchers to probe the respondents’ answers which increases the depth and significance to the empirical data collected. The researchers have chosen to conduct interviews rather than focus groups as the primary data collection method based on the aforementioned advantages and in regard to the desire of gaining more depth and insight on the factors influencing the selected target group’s attitudes and intentions towards plant-based dairy alternatives.

3.5.2 Secondary Data

The authors of this study have used data collected by other researchers to complement the primary data collected. This, to reach more dependable results. The secondary data used have primarily been documentary data. According to Saunders et al. (2016), documentary data is data that has been used in other research papers, and it comes in the form of books, journal articles, websites of different organizations, as well as newspaper articles. Saunders et al. (2016) also mention the other two types of secondary data, which are survey data and data from multiple sources, however, those have not been used in this study.

To collect the secondary data, the primary source of use has been the digital library of Jönköping University, Primo. The digital library consists of a database where students can get access to a variety of e-books, journals, articles, and other publications (Jönköping University Library, 2017). Moreover, as a complement to Primo, the digital database Google Scholar has been used to collect secondary data as it also contains a broad variety of e-books, journals, articles, and theses from well-known authors (Google, n.d.).

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The literature review of this thesis, including research on environmental issues, food consumption, and the selected product category as well as relevant consumer behavior theory, has been collected through secondary data based on the following keywords; Attitude, Environmental concern, Greenhouse gas, Health consciousness, Perceived behavioral control, Plant-based dairy substitutes, Purchase intention, Subjective norms.

3.5.3 Selection of Sample

After the decision on the type of research design and which type of primary data collection to use, the next step is to select what elements from the data that will be collected (Ghauri et al., 2010). This step involves specifying the target population as well as what sampling technique to use when sampling the participants for the interviews (Saunders et al., 2016).

Swedes are among the heaviest users in terms of dairy consumption across the world (Ritchie & Roser, 2019). Hence, the researchers chose to exclusively interview Swedish consumers, between the age of 22 and 30. This further enabled the researchers to conduct the interviews in the participants’ native language. The age was set due to limitations in both time and resources. Seeing that a total of 16 interviews have been planned to be conducted, the researchers have made the decision to collect samples from consumers within the range of their own ages to shorten the time and resources spent to gather them. The minimum sample size for research with semi-structured interviews for primary data collection is between 5-25 according to Saunders et al. (2016). Further, the researchers have chosen to have an equal amount of men and females on the basis to get an equal distribution of the results and eliminate any overrepresentation from either side. The equal distribution also gives the researchers a chance to investigate if any differences exist between the sexes.

For this study a non-probability judgmental sampling technique has been implemented. A judgmental technique allows the researchers to select the participants that are best fitted for the research purpose based on their own judgment, unlike probability sampling where each participant would have had an equal chance of being selected (Malhotra et al., 2012). According to Saunders et al. (2016), this sampling technique is often used when the research works with a small sample size. Further, as stated by Malhotra et al. (2012), this technique is

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inexpensive and convenient as well as useful when broad population inferences are not required.

Shortly, this research will consist of 16 interviews with an equal distribution of Swedish males and females between the age of 22 and 30. All of the participants have been selected by the researchers following a non-probability judgmental sampling technique.

3.5.4 Choice of Questions

For this study, the researchers created a number of questions that can be seen in Appendix A. In a semi-structured interview, the questions are created before the interviews and are referred to as an interview guide, meaning that the questions might change order or be altered to fit the specific interview (Saunders et al., 2016). The questions should be based on previous knowledge and research, as well as cover all the topics that the study is exploring (Kallio, Pietilä, Johnson & Kangasniemi, 2016).

The main goal of the interviews was to explore the suggested factors presented in the proposed research framework, whether they were important or not, as well as uncover if there were additional factors affecting the participants’ attitudes and intentions. In order to do this, the authors created discussions about sustainability and plant-based dairy alternatives. The interview guide was adapted to fit the ongoing interview, where some questions were reformulated, some questions where added, some removed, all to create a better flow, and to uncover as much as possible.

Furthermore, the interviews were divided into two major sections covering the factors suggested affecting attitudes and intentions separately. The beginning of the interview contained some general questions to generate a discussion and to ease the transition into the more specific parts of the interview. The interviews ended with some general questions about attitudes and intentions in an effort to explore the relationship between attitude and intention as well as to uncover information that might have come to the participant’s mind during the interviews.

The first major part of the interviews was regarding the attitudes held by the participants and can be linked to the first research question; “What are the attitudes, and what factors influence

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attitudes towards plant-based alternatives to dairy products?”. There was a total of five suggested factors from the proposed research framework to be explored in the first section of the interview; subjective norms, health consciousness, taste, knowledge, and environmental concern. Further, the questions were constructed to generate general answers that allowed for more elaborative follow-up discussions.

The second major part of the interview was regarding the participants’ intentions and can be linked to the second research question; ”What are the purchase intentions, and what factors influence intention to buy plant-based alternatives to dairy products?”. There were two suggested factors from the research framework that was explored in this section of the interview; price and availability. Similar to the questions in the first part of the interview, they were also constructed to create elaborative discussions.

3.5.5 Pretest

Prior to the actual interviews, the researchers found it necessary to conduct a pretest to strengthen the quality and execution of the following empirical data collection. A pretest, or what is also known as a pilot-test, allows the researchers to test the interview guide and necessary equipment to make sure everything is in order for a smoother interview process. It also allows for the questions to be tested to spot any errors that could lead to a failure of obtaining the data that the researchers are trying to acquire. In addition, it is recommended that the participant in the pretest should be taken out of the same population as the interviewees (Malhotra et al., 2012), which for this study is Swedish citizens between the age of 22-30. The pretest participant was indeed taken out of that specific population and the test was conducted. The interviewee was removed from the sample of this study based on that it was solely conducted as a pretest and hence will not affect the outcome of the findings.

What the authors wanted to identify by conducting the pre-test, was mainly related to the questions. It was of importance to find out whether the questions were understandable, and also whether the questions were fully sufficient to discover the valuable information needed to fulfill the research purpose. Indeed, as the pretest was moving forward, errors were noticed. Some of the questions led to misunderstanding and confusion from the interviewee, as well as an error were a couple of questions seemed to generate similar answers. The different devices used for the interviews, such as recording devices, laptops, and software used to conduct online

Going for the plant-based (legen)dairy alternative? : An exploratory study on consumer attitudes and purchase intentions towards plant-based dairy alternatives