Ethnocentrism, Trust, and the Willingness to Pay of Chinese Consumers for Organic Labels from Different Countries and Certifiers

Table 3

Sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents.

Variables	Categories	Number of respondents	Percentage of sample
Gender	Female	480	56.28
	Male	373	43.72
Age^a	18–45 years	404	47.39
	46–60 years	294	34.47
	>60 years	155	18.14
Education^b	High education	260	30.45
	Medium education	340	39.86
	Low education	253	29.70
Family income (per year)^c	<8,015 US$	264	31.32
	8,015–16,030 US$	358	42.47
	>16,030 US$	221	26.21

^aAccording to the China Statistical Yearbook, individuals aged 18–45 years are classified as young, 46–60 years are classified as middle-aged, and over the age of 60 are classified as old. Respondents were classified per the same criteria in this study. The age structure of respondents was consistent with that of the Chinese population reported in the China Statistical Yearbook, as well as with that of Shandong Province reported in the Shandong Statistical Yearbook. ^bBased on the level of education in Mainland China, as well as the criteria used in the China and Shandong Statistical Yearbooks, low education denotes primary school or lower, medium education denotes junior high or high school, and high education denotes university or higher. The education level of respondents was consistent with that of urban residents in Shandong Province, as reported in the Shandong Statistical Yearbook, and slightly higher than that of Chinese urban residents, as reported in the China Statistical Yearbook. ^cBased on the economic development and consumer income levels in Mainland China, an annual family income of less than 8,015 US$ is defined as low income, 8,015–16,030 US$ is defined as medium income, and greater than 16,030 US$ is defined as high income. As this study aimed to understand the willingness of consumers to pay for organic food, participants were recruited from urban supermarkets and business districts. The income level of the participants was slightly higher than the per capita income of the Chinese and Shandong populations reported in the China and Shandong Statistical Yearbooks, respectively.