Date

6-2022

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology

College

College of Human Ecology (CHE)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Caroline D. Piñon

Committee Member

Emilia S. Visco

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected consumers’ buying behavior around the world. However, limited studies exist, particularly on how this pandemic affected young adults’ food purchases. This assesses the changes brought by the pandemic to the buying behavior of young adults, particularly the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) in Los Baños, Laguna with respect to food products. It hypothesizes that there is a significant relationship between the young adults’ socio-demographic profile and external factors, which affect their buying behavior. About 92 SK members participated in the self-administered online survey. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U Test, and Spearman Rho tools were in data analysis. Results revealed that the young adults in Los Baños generally belonged to Generation Z who have high education, making them in a position to make wise purchasing decisions but have limited financial capacities. It was also found that only the level of awareness on local government policies, social media reliance, and perception on bulk buying showed significant change on buying behavior before and during the pandemic. Moreover, age, biological sex, civil status, educational attainment, occupation, and living arrangement showed significant correlations to the external factors namely pricing, food quality, brand preference, origin, method of production, health/nutritional benefits, availability, and proximity to markets. These findings are relevant contributions to advance consumer education, especially in the Philippines.

Language

English

LC Subject

COVID-19 pandemic, buying behavior, young adults, consumers

Location

UPLB College of Human Ecology (CHE)

Document Type

Thesis

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