Consumers’ Responses to Delivery Food Safety Violations in China

Abstract

This study investigates consumers' responses to delivery food safety violations in China. Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) is applied to understand how consumers evaluate the threats of delivery food safety violations and assess their abilities to cope with these threats. This study extends PMT by including subjective knowledge and moral obligation. A questionnaire survey conducted in Mainland China collected 304 qualified samples. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were conducted. Subjective knowledge was found to have significant effect on most constructs of cognitive mediating process. The findings also demonstrated a significant impact of self-efficacy and moral obligation on reporting intention and not ordering intention. Moreover, response efficacy significantly influenced only reporting intention and response cost had significant effect on only intention not to order. The study findings contribute to the research literature on PMT and help guide policymakers in ensuring the safety of China's online food delivery industry.