Presence of Fairtrade logo increases willingness to buy product: study
Xinhua, August 26, 2015 Adjust font size:
Products with the Fairtrade seal make potential buyers reach deeper into their pockets, according to study by the University of Bonn published Wednesday.
In an experiment, participants were willing to pay an average of 30 percent more for ethically-produced goods than for conventional products.
The study has been published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.
Brain researchers were able to demonstrate the neural networks involved in processing of the emblem. In the brain scanner of the Bonn Life & Brain center, researchers were able to show that certain brain centers are active when participants saw the logos.
A region of the frontal lobe, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, seems to be ultimately responsible for the calculation of willingness to pay, said the study.
"The more active the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in our test subjects was, they gave more money," said neuroscientist Prof. Dr. Bernd Weber of the University of Bonn.
The study also showed participants thought food with the Fairtrade logo tasted better.
The scientists gave two chocolate samples to their test subjects. The one that was supposed to be a Fairtrade product received significantly better grades from the participants.
"It was pure imagination as both chocolate pieces came from the same bar and was purchased from a well-known discount store," said the author of the study Laura Enax. Endit