Application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour to predict Iranian students' intention to purchase organic food

Many studies have attempted to measure the relative importance of environmental concerns by comparing organic farming with conventional agriculture. However, there have been concerns that the factors which motivate consumers to purchase organic foods are not properly known. This study investigated students' behavioural intentions with regard to purchasing organic food in Iran. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) was used for the investigation, as it is one of the most widely used theories for investigating the relationship between attitude and action. Results indicated that the students' attitude was the main predictor of their intention to purchase organic foods. Interestingly, this research showed that both perceived behavioural control and subjective norms were not significant predictors of intention. Furthermore, adding moral norm and self-identity as the additional constructs to the TPB significantly increased the explanatory power of the standard model. From the practical point of view, the present study provides a justification for using attitude, self-identity and moral norm dimensions in policy and decision making that intend to encourage students to purchase organic foods.