As influências da intenção de compra e a disposição a pagar dos consumidores britânicos em relação a uma carne bovina de baixa emissão de carbono.

Abstract

The objective of this thesis is to advance our understanding of beef consumers' consciousness regarding the environmental impact that the beef cattle chain has on the planet. The research method is quantitative, an exploratory analysis of the influences of purchase intention by British consumers of low carbon beef and their willingness to pay for this new attribute. The environmental impact of beef cattle is significant, each kilo of beef produced generates the equivalent of 300g of methane (CH4), up to 15 kg of carbon dioxide (CO2) and 15,000 liters of water are consumed for its production, pasture to the plate, but these numbers may vary significantly depending on the production system. Many studies present innovations that reduce such negative externalities, diminishing, therefore, food security, since those greenhouse gases are responsible for climate change. Agriculture, being highly dependent on regular rainfall, flooding by torrential rains, and long periods of drought put at risk the nutrition of the entire world population, estimated at 9.7 billion inhabitants by the year 2050. Considering the environmental impact of cattle farming, the offer of a more sustainable product is already being discussed, with low-carbon beef being one of the solutions found. However, the demand for such a product has only been studied recently, with some gaps in the literature regarding the perception of its consumers’ environmental consciousness, thus, justifying the present work. For this purpose, Ajzen's model of analysis of the theory of planned behavior (TCP) was expanded, adding factors that influence the attitudes of meat buyers, namely: declared knowledge about those negative externalities, as well as the self-identity of these individuals, investigating how these they see themselves as co-responsible agents for those impacts. A questionnaire was designed to ascertain the future purchase intention of the British population about meat with a lower carbon emission rate and seven hypotheses were tested. It was also evaluated consumers’ willingness to pay for this beef, when offered along with other attributes, namely: three levels of carbon footprint, three levels of fatness, origin (British, Brazilian, or European Union), and Reduced waste seal. For willingness to pay, we used the discrete choice experiment, and for purchase intention the structural equation modeling. The sample was chosen because the United Kingdom is a developed country and it is in a new economic moment due to Brexit. The results revealed a significant statistical fitness of the proposed model. From the variables that predict future purchase intention, social norms and attitudes stand out, influencing this intention the most. As for willingness to pay, four characteristically different latent classes were discriminated, each one willing to pay a premium price for different attributes. On average, the results show that beef consumers in the United Kingdom would pay more for lean and British beef, but not for Brazilian beef even with reduced carbon emissions. However, the heterogeneity of the sample explains the particularity of each latent class, this average being very generic without specifying individual behaviors since there are consumers willing to pay more for more sustainable beef, even though they are a minority. Therefore, it is concluded that the vast majority of the sample is not willing to buy a more sustainable beef, but there are enough elements that influence the purchase intention capable of reversing this situation, namely: education. With more information and education, we are able to build more collectivist self-identities, which are concerned with environmental issues, we can also increase the declared knowledge of consumers regarding the awareness that their habits can have negative effects and consequences for society.