Beef Consumption Behavior amongst Korean Women: A Study Based on the Demographic Characteristics and Food-Related Lifestyle

Abstract

This study examines the beef consumption behavior of Korean women in their 20s through 50s according to their age, marital status, and food-related lifestyle (FRL). A total of 346 women living in Seoul and Gyeonggi were surveyed online. For women in their 20s and 30s, price was the most important factor when purchasing beef; in the 40s and 50s, the expiration date was deemed more important. When considering marital status, single women were found to have a higher frequency of beef consumption. For determining frequently purchased-beef cuts, both groups showed the highest preference for sirloin. Higher proportion of the married group women purchased brisket, whereas women in the single group preferred tenderloin and ribs. The most considered information when purchasing beef was the origin for the married group and price for the single group. FRL factors were determined to be health･safety, gourmet trend, and convenience. Considering the FRL factor scores and applying cluster analysis, the FRL factors were classified into three groups: health･safety, quality･trend, and convenience. The health･safety-pursuit group had the highest score for the most information. Among the factors considered in information, origin was higher in the health･safety-pursuit and quality･trend-seeking groups. When considering the price, convenience and quality･trend-seeking groups achieved the highest scores. The results of this study can be applied as fundamental data for policy and marketing research to improve the self-sufficiency rate of domestic beef, which has been threatened by the enhanced quality of imported beef.