Research paper
Qi D, Roe BE. Household food waste: Multivariate regression and principal components analyses of awareness and attitudes among U.S. consumers. PLoS ONE. 2016 Jul 21;11(7):e0159250. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0159250. PMID: 27441687; PMCID: PMC4956302.
Why we cite it
National survey of 500 U.S. consumers analysing food waste awareness and attitudes through multivariate regression and principal components analysis. Identified three attitudinal dimensions that structure how consumers think about food waste: (1) perceived practical benefits of wasting food (freshness, safety, time savings), (2) guilt about waste (moral, environmental, financial), and (3) perceived reduction potential (benchmarking against others, difficulty of further reduction). Key finding: a widespread perception-reality gap — 86.5% of consumers believe they waste less than similarly sized households, indicating systematic underestimation of personal food waste. Also found that nearly 70% believe discarding expired food prevents foodborne illness, despite scientific evidence questioning date label validity. Referenced in companion 413 (the-produce-drawer) as background on household food waste patterns and the psychological barriers to reducing waste.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159250 · PubMed 27441687 · Publisher
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