A Comparative Assessment of Urban and Rural Households' Behaviors Towards Fresh Red Meat Consumption A Case Study in Eastern Part of Turkey

Abstract

Purpose - The major aim of this study is to determine the effect of urbanization and income level on the behaviours of consumers towards red meat consumption structure in Van, Turkey. Design/methodology/approach - The sample size was found to be 96 and 95 households in urban and rural areas, respectively, using sampling applicable when the population is limited. The households were classified into four groups according to their average yearly incomes. Independentsamples t-test, one-way ANOVA, X-2 and linear regression statistical tests were applied. The questionnaires were filled in between 15 November 2004 and 5 March 2005. Findings - The average yearly fresh red meat consumption quantity per head of rural households (8.69 kg) was considerably lower than that of urban households (13.19 kg). The regression test showed that $1,000 increase in income would result in 4.38 and 8.24 kg increase in yearly red meat consumption quantity per households in urban and rural areas, respectively. Originality/value - The paper compares the differences between the urban and rural areas in terms of consumers' behaviours towards fresh red meat consumption structure, which is original research subject for the region.