Combining means-end chain analysis and the Portrait Value Questionnaire to research the influence of personal values on food choice

• Consumers make food choices in relation to their personal values.
• This study combined means-end chain analysis and the Portrait Value Questionnaire.
• ‘Conservatism’ and ‘Openness to change’ consumer segments were revealed.
• Consistent findings from means-end chain analysis and Portrait Value Questionnaire.

Personal values can be measured using quantitative or qualitative methods. This paper aims to investigate the attribute-consequence-value patterns collected from means-end chain analysis and to examine their relationship to personal value domains from Schwartz value theory measured through the use of the Portrait Value Questionnaire. The study was performed on two product categories, potato chips and orange juice, in which two value segments of opposing value domains were found, Conservatism and Openness to change clusters. There was consistency between means-end chain analysis results and the expected traits of the value domains. The Conservatism cluster embracing security, tradition, and conformity values sought financial security through saving money by paying more attention to price and selected familiar brands in order to avoid risks of spending extra money. The Openness to change cluster, which embraced hedonism and stimulation values, emphasized attaining pleasure and enjoyment in life through various consequences that branched out from a number of sensory product attributes. This study illustrates the compatibility between the two instruments. The use of means-end chain analysis confirmed Schwartz’s definition of values as guiding behavior, and that values are ordered by relative importance.