Karolina Łopacińska
Wroclaw University of Economics and Business,
Komandorska 118/120, 53-345 Wrocław, Poland
E-mail: karolina.lopacinska@ue.wroc.pl
ORCID: 0000-0003-0933-9863
DOI: 10.2478/minib-2024-0019
Abstract:
This study explores the role of social media in shaping the attitudes of Chinese Generation Y and Z consumers toward organic food. Using a mixed-method approach, it combines a review of existing literature with a quantitative empirical survey conducted in 2022 among 1,012 Chinese users of popular social media platforms such as WeChat and Sina Weibo. The research investigates consumer perceptions of information shared via social media, the credibility of this information, and its impact on cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components of consumer attitudes. Additionally, the study examines the factors motivating or deterring organic food purchases and highlights generational differences in using social media as an information source. The findings emphasize the significant role of social media in promoting sustainable consumption practices in China and underline its potential as a vital tool in aligning consumer behavior with the country’s sustainable development goals. Directions for future research on social media’s influence on consumer attitudes and purchasing decisions are also proposed.
The role of social media in shaping Chinese consumers’ attitudes towards organic food
Karolina Łopacińska holds a PhD in economic sciences and is an assistant professor in the Department of International Economic Relations at Wrocław University of Economics and Business (WUEB). She specializes in the field of Asian business models and companies’ international expansion strategies, with a main focus on China, South Korea and Japan. Her scientific interests also include international marketing and behavioral aspects of Asian countries’ sustainable development strategies. Her academic work consists of more than 30 scientific articles and monographs (in both English and Polish) on the expansion strategies of Chinese companies, the development directions of agribusiness in China, Asian business models, cultural conditions of international business, and social media in integrated marketing communications, which have been published in international journals. She is the author of the monograph Mergers and Acquisitions Conducted by Chinese Companies in the European Market and a co-author of the book Global Challenges and Management of Agribusiness Sector. She has completed research internships at such universities as Université Sorbonne Nouvelle in France, Seikei University and Waseda University in Japan, as well as Wageningen University in the Netherlands. She is also the author of a VR game – the International Business Simulation Game – introduced into the teaching curriculum of the following fields of study: International Economic Relations and International Business at WUEB.