Generational Differences in the Perception and Purchase of Hungarian Food Products in the Effect of the Coronavirus

Garai-Fodor, Mónika – Popovics, Anett

Keywords: Hungarian food, consumer behaviour research, coronavirus issue, Q13, Q19, Q10

Food consumption habits have also changed significantly in our country as a result of the corona virus issues. As a result of the new waves of the epidemic, consumers have become more conscious of their purchases, the role of local shops, markets and home delivery has increased and confidence in local food has grown.
The last two years have also seen an increasing trend towards online purchasing of food and consumers’ preference for high quality food from reliable sources for domestic products has remained unchanged.
The present study is a continuation of our previous research: after examining secondary sources, we conducted primary research to determine the impact of the corona virus on Hungarian food purchasing, with a special focus on generational differences. We used a quantitative method in our study. As a result of an online survey conducted using a standardised questionnaire, we concluded our findings by processing the opinions of 1151 respondents.
Our results show that the purchase of Hungarian food products in general became more important as the impact of the corona virus epidemic. The main motivation for buying domestic food products was to support the Hungarian economy. A kind of emotional commitment has developed during the period under study: respondents felt that buying domestic food was linked to promoting the Hungarian economy.
From a generational point of view, members of Generation X were the most likely to prefer Hungarian food, but our research also shows that there is a realistic chance of persuading Generation Y and Generation Z to buy Hungarian food through further promotional campaigns.
In our opinion, encouraging the purchase of Hungarian food could be achieved through emotional communication activities focusing on high quality and the shopping experience, which would introduce the younger generation to the benefits of local products through a sense of belonging to the community.