TWO-STAGE DECISION MODEL OF SOY FOOD CONSUMPTION BEHAVIOR

Our study examined the role of soy health benefits in consumers' soy consumption decision. Given the large number of respondents who reported no consumption of soy products per month, it was important to model the decision of whether or not to participate in soy market separately from the consumption intensity decision. Estimation results demonstrate that knowledge of health benefits affects both the likelihood of participation and consumption intensity. That is, consumers with higher soy health knowledge are more likely to enter soy food market and consume soy products more often when compared to those with less soy knowledge. Yet, perceived taste and convenience had considerably greater impact on soy behavior when compared to soy health knowledge.