How socioeconomic status shapes food preferences and perceptions
Author(s)
Andretti, Bernardo
Vieites, Yan
Elmor, Larissa
Andrade, Eduardo B
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
This article assesses the extent to which consumers from the opposite poles of the socioeconomic distribution weigh three critical food attributes (healthiness, fillingness, and taste), how they perceive the associations among them, and how differences in weights and associations influence food preferences. The results of a series of eight preregistered studies in a highly unequal environment (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) show that low- (vs. high-) socioeconomic-status consumers are more likely to (a) choose unhealthy items even when supply-side factors (e.g., affordability and accessibility) are controlled by design, (b) trade healthiness for fillingness (but not taste), and (c) display stronger negative associations between the attributes (“healthy = less filling” and “healthy = less tasty”). These findings highlight the importance of a deeper understanding of the psychological differences in food preferences and perceptions and the use of such insights to design interventions aimed at mitigating nutritional inequality. In line with this rationale, the final set of studies shows that, albeit not a trivial task, it is possible to increase healthy food choices among disadvantaged consumers by enhancing the perceived fillingness of the healthy options available. Managerial and policy implications are discussed.
Date Issued
2025-11-01
Date Acceptance
2024-10-10
Citation
Journal of Marketing, 2025, 89 (6), pp.33-56
ISSN
0022-2429
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Start Page
33
End Page
56
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Marketing
Volume
89
Issue
6
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2025. Creative Commons License (CC BY 4.0) This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
License URL
Identifier
10.1177/00222429241296048
Subjects
socioeconomic status
social class
food preferences
nutritional inequality
healthy eating
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2024-10-21