Attitude Scale Towards Organic Food Consumption: Validity and Reliability Study

Abstract

Changing climate conditions have negatively affected the fertility of agricultural soils. This loss of productivity in soils has led to an increased use of agricultural chemicals, growth hormones, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers during the production process. Over time, consumers have become aware of the negative impacts of these practices on human health and the environment, and have developed a conscious stance against products containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). This awareness has particularly led conscious consumers to prefer organic products. This study aims to develop a valid and reliable scale to evaluate consumers’ attitudes toward organic food consumption by addressing the concept of organic food within a theoretical framework. The population of the study consists of consumers over the age of 18 in the province of Sivas, while the sample comprises 658 individuals (371 for EFA and 287 for CFA) selected through convenience sampling. Based on expert opinions, a draft with 27 items was created. As a result of the EFA, a four-factor structure with 18 items explaining 59.192% of the total variance was obtained. The CFA results indicated that the fit index values fell within the acceptable range. Reliability levels were found to be high for all factors. Accordingly, the overall reliability coefficient of the scale was calculated as Alpha = 0.813, and it was observed that the item-total correlation scores of all items exceeded the accepted value of 0.20 in the literature. In conclusion, it was determined that the 18-item, 4-factor “Consumers’ Attitudes Toward Organic Food Consumption Scale” is valid and reliable.