Effects of COVID-19 Community Quarantine Protocols on Consumers' Purchasing Behavior Towards Pork Meat in Tanauan City, Batangas, 2021

Date

6-2022

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics

College

College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Jayson S. Cabral

Committee Member

Jayson S. Cabral, Julieta, A. Delos Reyes, Agham C. Cuevas

Abstract

The study was conducted to assess the effects of the COVID-19 community quarantine protocols on consumers’ purchasing behavior toward pork meat in selected barangays in Tanauan City, Batangas. The barangays selected were near the Tanauan City Public Market. It specifically aimed to characterize the pork meat consumers; determine the changes in the volume, frequency of purchase, place of purchase, time, types of pork meat, and willingness to pay of pork meat consumers before and during the COVID-19 community quarantine protocols; analyze the factors affecting consumers’ purchasing behavior; and determine policy implications of the results of the study. A total of 86 consumers were selected via simple random sampling. Twenty-four respondents were from barangay Hidalgo, 22 from Bagumbayan, 21 from barangay Trapiche, and 19 were from barangay Sambat. Primary data on consumers’ socio-economic characteristics, such as age, sex, religion, highest educational attainment, household size, employment status, and household monthly income were gathered through personal interviews. This study assessed whether the purchasing behavior of consumers changed or did not change, or increased, decreased, or did not change during the COVID-19 community quarantine protocols (i.e., ECQ, GCQ, MGCQ, and MECQ) relative to the base outcome (i.e., pre-pandemic), and their perception whether these community quarantine protocols affected their purchasing behavior of pork meat. The problems they encountered in purchasing pork meat in Tanauan City, Batangas before and during the COVID-19 community quarantine protocols were also determined. Descriptive analysis, Pearson Chi-Square Test of Independence, Cramer’s V Coefficient of Association, Double-Bounded Dichotomous Choice Method, Paired Samples t-test and Multinomial Logistic Regression Model were used in analyzing the primary data.

Results showed that, in terms of the volume of purchases, male consumers were more likely to decrease their volume of purchases during ECQ than females. The prices of pork substitutes are also positively significant to the decrease in the volume of purchases during ECQ. Employed people are less likely to change their frequency of purchase during ECQ. Meanwhile, there was inconclusive evidence to predict whether the independent variables covered in the study changed or did not change in terms of the place of purchase, time of purchase, and the types of pork meat purchased by the respondents relative to the base outcome. On consumers' willingness to pay (WTP), older respondents ages 50-65 were more likely to increase their WTP on pork meat during ECQ, while younger consumers are less likely to increase their WTP relative to the base outcome. Employed people during ECQ, GCQ and MGCQ were less likely to decrease their WTP on pork meat and more likely to not change it at all relative to the base outcome (i.e., similar to pre- pandemic). During MECQ, there was inconclusive evidence to predict the changes in the consumers’ WTP.

Recommendations include full operation and utilization of the AAA Slaughterhouse and Auction market in Tanauan City, regular inspection of the public market, government subsidies to local pork producers and pork substitutes, separate price monitoring list for frozen, and government-assisted mobile market in every barangay.

Language

English

LC Subject

Consumer Purchasing Behavior

Location

UPLB College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Call Number

LG 993.5 2022 A14 P48

Document Type

Thesis

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