INFLUENCE OF PRODUCT ATTRIBUTES AND HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS ON CONSUMERS' ATTITUDE TOWARD AND PURHCASE PATTERN OF IN-SHELL PEANUTS

A nationwide household survey was used to examine U.S. consumers' attitude and purchase behavior toward in-shell peanuts. Fishbein's multiattribute model was the basis for evaluating the effects of perceived product attributes on attitudes toward in-shell peanuts. Consumer purchase behavior was analyzed using a count data model. The results suggest that attitudes toward in-shell peanuts were influenced by attributes such as fat, taste, and healthiness, and that taste was the only attribute influencing consumers' purchase decisions. Consumers who perceived that in-shell peanuts contained undesirable nutritional ingredients, such as fat and cholesterol, developed unfavorable attitudes toward in-shell peanuts. These perceptions translated into reduced purchase frequency for in-shell peanuts.