The Influence of Socio-Economic Characteristics on Food Advertisement Usage

Only 22 percent of surveyed consumers reported making frequent use of food advertisements when purchasing food products. However, certain demographic segments appear to place a greater emphasis on food advertisements than others. This study empirically evaluates which socio-economic characteristics encourage consumers to be more likely to take food advertisements into account when purchasing grocery products. The results indicate that those with lower annual incomes, those with lower levels of education, and those living in suburban and rural areas are the most likely to make use of food advertisements in the newspaper. The results also indicate that households with children, single individuals, and those over 65 years of age are less likely to use food advertisements.