Consumer support for local and organic foods in Ohio

Contemporary discourse on consumption is growing and one significant focus is food consumption. In fact green buying, such as purchasing organic and local foods is booming. As this type of consumption flourishes, an increasing number of sociologists are grappling with better understanding the role of consumption. As scholars seek to understand the significance of local and organic food consumption, they are beginning to recognize and theorize about consumers as political actors capable of shaping the food system. This dissertation is a step toward better theorizing about the role of and power of consumers.; Some sociologists have observed that contemporary consumption patterns are not as easy to decipher using old frameworks dependent on social class and price as explanatory factors. There is debate about the declining significance of social class in structuring consumption and among some scholars an increased emphasis on reflexive concerns as primary motivators associated with modern consumption practices. I examine the effect of class and a number of reflexive concerns on support for local and organic foods.; A number of studies of alternative food systems have examined the factors associated with support for organic foods more than support for local foods; however, very few studies have compared the two groups. I seek to fill this gap by examining the significance of a number of factors across several models of support for local and organic foods. Such comparisons are warranted as the proliferation of nonlocal processed organic food products challenges the historic relationship between these foods. Historically, organic foods were likely to have been produced and marketed locally; however, now organic foods are increasingly sold in mainstream grocery stores and are likely not locally produced.; To test the hypotheses, data from the 2004 Ohio Survey of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Issues, a statewide survey of Ohio households is analyzed. A number of factors associated with support for local and organic foods are examined including, class, environmental concern, food safety concern, diet/health consciousness, and agrarian sentiment.; The multivariate findings do not support the hypothesis that class is positively associated with support for local and organic foods. Education though, is positively associated with behavioral measures of support for organic. I find there are particular reflexive concerns associated with support for local versus support for organic. There are also a number of shared reflexive concerns positively associated with both local and organic. I also find that attitudinal support for local is not significantly associated with behavioral support for organic foods and vice versa. These results indicate a possible decoupling of local and organic.; I also develop a typology of consumers based on these data utilizing cluster analysis techniques and present a profile of five types of consumers in Ohio based on their level of support for local and organic foods. I find that class is not associated with being an alternative food system supporter and that there are some distinct differences with regard to reflexive concerns across consumer types. The group most supportive of both the local and organic attribute are more reflexive and the group least supportive of these attributes is less reflexive. The organically inclined group is more agroenvironmentally concerned and diet health conscious than the locally inclined group, whereas the locally inclined group reports higher levels of agrarian sentiment.; The most supportive type based on the typology is subsequently compared to a reference group known to be engaged in food system issues. I find that the known supportive group is more educated and reports a higher household income. I also find the known motivated group is more reflexive than the most motivated group in the general population. I find price and convenience are rated as more important among tho...