Demographics & Attitudes of Shoppers at Missouri & Wisconsin Farmers Markets Patience Rhodes Dr....
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Transcript of Demographics & Attitudes of Shoppers at Missouri & Wisconsin Farmers Markets Patience Rhodes Dr....
Demographics & Attitudes of Shoppers at Missouri &
Wisconsin Farmers MarketsPatience Rhodes
Dr. Michael Seipel, mentor
Truman State University
Ronald E. McNair Program
Introduction
• Number of farmers markets in the U.S. has increased to 3,100 (in 2002).
• Federal and state agencies encourage growth of farmers markets.
• Increase of farmers markets has prompted research.
Literature Review
• Several studies found that the average shoppers were Caucasian women, from higher income groups, at least 51 years old, and well educated (Eastwood; Kezis; Nayga).
• Freshness, quality, locally grown, and having direct contact with farmers were found to be the most important considerations for consumers when purchasing produce (Brown; Kezis; Nayga).
Literature Review (cont.)• Brown found that households where someone was
raised on a farm, or their parents were raised on a farm, were found to have a preference for local produce and a willingness to pay a price premium for those products.
• Few studies have explicitly compared motivations of shoppers across markets situated in neighborhoods of different socio-economic background.
Research Questions
• How do the demographics of the shoppers compare to the demographics of the surrounding neighborhoods?
• Is there any relationship between people who were raised on the farm and their likelihood of supporting local farmers?
Research Questions (cont.)
• Does motivation for shopping and factors cited in purchasing in a farmers market vary across market location?
• Does motivation for shopping in a farmers market vary across socio-economic characteristics such as race, ethnicity, and income?
Methodology• Four farmers markets
– Fondy Farmers Market (Milwaukee, WI)– Green Bay Farmers Market (Green Bay, WI)– Kirkwood Farmers Market (Kirkwood, MO)– Soulard Farmers Market (St. Louis, MO)
• Convenience sampling – 50 participants per market
Methodology (cont.)
• Questionnaire – How often do you shop at this particular market?– How far do you have to travel to get to the farmers market?– How would you define “locally-produced” fruits and
vegetables?– Has your consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables
increased or decreased since you have been shopping at the farmers market?
– Were you or your parents raised on a farm?
Methodology (cont.)
• Statistical analysis (SPSS) – Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
– Chi-square tests
• Qualitative analysis – Responses to open ended questions
Wisconsin Farmers Market
Green Bay Farmers Market Fondy Farmers Market
Missouri Farmers Market
Kirkwood Farmers Market Soulard Farmers Market
Findings• 200 completed surveys
• Basic demographics– 66% female– Average age: 47 years old– 68% Caucasian– 50% reported household income $25,000 - $74,999.– 50% reported educational attainment of a 4 year college
degree or higher.
How do the demographics of the shoppers compare to the demographics of the
surrounding neighborhoods?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Market Census Tract Market Census Tract Market Census Tract Market Census Tract
Soulard Kirkwood Green Bay Fondy
Pct. Non-white
Pct. White
Distribution by Race: Shoppers vs. Residents of Surrounding Census Tract
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
M arket Census Tract M arket Census Tract M arket Census Tract M arket Census Tract
Soulard Kirkwood Green Bay Fondy
Percent with $75,000 or higher household income
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
90.0%
Market Census Tract Market Census Tract Market Census Tract Market Census Tract
Soulard Kirkwood Green Bay Fondy
Percent with 2-yr., 4-yr. or graduate degree
Is there any relationship between people who were raised on the farm and their likelihood of supporting local farmers?
Percent of respondents raised on a farm, by market
28% 28%
42%
47%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
Soulard Kirkwood Green Bay Fondy
Farm Non-farm sig. of TPrice 3.48 3.39 0.335Convenience 3.68 3.28 1.661Atmosphere of market 3.39 3.04 1.439Support local famers 2.92 2.85 0.252Quality/freshness 2.11 2.19 -0.327
Mean Ranking of Purchasing Factors and T-test results
Does motivation for shopping at a farmers market vary across market location?
Soulard Kirkwood Green Bay FondyQuality/Freshness 2.2 2.6 1.98 2.2653
Support local farmers* 3.08 3.06 2.08 3.3265
Atmosphere of market* 3.22 2.86 2.72 3.9184Convenience 3.84 3.06 3.32 3.4286
Price* 2.7 3.92 3.98 3.1224
Importance of factors when deciding where to shop
*Price: F statistics = 7.467 (P<0.000)
*Atmosphere of market: F statistics = 5.433 (P<0.001)
*Support local farmers: F statistics = 5.515 (P<0.001)
Do factors cited when purchasing fruits and vegetables vary across market location?
Soulard Kirkwood Green Bay FondyPrice 2.82 3.3265 3.58 3.06Nutritional Value 3.7 3.6327 3.24 3.36Quality/freshness 2.16 1.9388 1.88 2.36Appearance of product 2.66 2.5306 2.72 2.76
Locally produced* 3.72 2.8367 2.44 3.72
Importance of factors when buying fruits & vegetables
*One way ANOVA, F statistic = 7.457 (P<0.000)
Does motivation for shopping in a farmersmarket vary across demographic
characteristics such as race, ethnicity, and income?
Male FemalePrice 3.04 (3rd) 3.27 (3rd)Nutritional Value 3.66 (5th) 3.39 (5th)Quality/freshness 2.06 (1st) 2.1 (1st)Appearance of product* 3.34 (4th) 2.33 (2nd)Locally produced 2.99 (2nd) 3.28 (4th)
Importance of factors when buying fruits and vegetables
*T statistics = 4.134 (P>0.000)
Comparison of Male and Female Respondents on Importance of Selected Factors when
Purchasing Fruits and Vegetables
Other demographic differences• The age group 61 & over tended to rank locally produced as
higher importance when buying fruits and vegetables.
• Respondents with 4 year and graduate degrees gave higher importance to locally produced, quality/freshness when buying fruits and vegetables, and atmosphere of market when choosing a market.
• Respondents with higher income gave higher importance to atmosphere and support of local farmers when deciding where to shop.
How would you define “locally-produced” fruits and vegetables?
(Kirkwood)Definition of "locally-produced" # of respondentsMissouri and surrounding states 8Other 8No response 8Missouri 7St. Louis/metro 6Missouri and Illinois 5"Excellent", "Good", "Fresh" 5Mileage 3 20 miles 1 30 miles 1 75 miles 1
How would you define “locally-produced” fruits and vegetables?
(Soulard)Definition of "locally-produced" # of respondentsNo response 17Other 13Missouri and Illinois 7Missouri 4"Fresh" and "Good" 4Mileage 3 10 miles 1 50 miles 1 100 miles 1
How would you define “locally-produced” fruits and vegetables?
(Fondy)
Definition of "locally-produced" # of respondentsOther 17"Good" and "Very Good" 15No response 8In-state 5Fresh 3Mileage 2 50 miles 1 150 miles 1
How would you define “locally-produced” fruits and vegetables?
(Green Bay)Definition of "locally-produced" # of respondents"Good", "Great", "Excellent" 9Other 8Mileage 7 10 miles 1 20 miles 1 30 miles 3 50 miles 2Within the area 6Northeast Wisconsin 5Wisconsin 5Brown County 4No Response 4
Conclusion• For all four markets, shoppers had higher educational attainment
and income than neighborhood residents. African-Americans were also underrepresented among shoppers.
• However, there were also significant differences between shoppers at the different markets, especially in motivations for choosing the market and in factors influencing purchases.
• Socio-economic characteristics such as gender, age, education, and income have some influence on purchasing decisions.
• No association being raised on a farm and consumers’ desire to support local farmers as a factor influencing their choice of a farmers market.
Limitations and Further Research Needs• Non-random sample may have biased results.
– Following groups underrepresented among respondents• Senior citizens• People with younger children• Hispanics
• Future surveys, using a randomly-drawn sample of frequent shoppers could test these findings.
• Since local residents are underrepresented among shoppers, research could examine what factors could lead them to shop at the market.
Questions?
Acknowledgments
• Ronald E. McNair Program
• Dr. Michael Seipel, Mentor
• Green Bay, Fondy, Kirkwood, & Soulard Farmers Markets