Consumption of Organic and Bio Products by University Students: Comparison of Czech Republic and France

The aim of this thesis has been to analyze the differences in the organic perception and the organic consumption followingly, in two chosen European countries with a completely different organic background. France and the Czech Republic differ immensely in the historical development of organic farming techniques which has been followed by uneven interest of consumers. While analyzing results comparing two economies in a cross-cultural study performed in the universities in both countries, the current position of organic products in lives of young consumers has been examined. The theoretical part provides an overview of the consumer behavior in general and specific features of an average organic consumer, highlighting the main motivation factors as well as barriers towards organic products. The analytical part offers a cross cultural study of French and Czech students, based on a questionnaire with structured questions collecting quantitative data from both, organic and non-organic consumers. Results reveal that the main assumption about general assumption about the organic knowledge and better perception in France due to a longer historical development and a stabilized position on the market was proved only partially. Czech students are fairly interested in organic products with only a few exceptions. The only area where Czech students showed less knowledge was the distinction of national organic logo uniformly set for the whole country and the symbols of Czech most important certifying institutions. The alarming results stimulate a need for an instant action in order to raise the information level in the Czech Republic. All in all, the interest among the university students in both countries is high. According to the research, preference for some groups of products will increase and therefore the offer could be improved. More competitors could enter the market and fill the gap of products which are insufficient nowadays. Limited range of products was claimed to be a problem by both examined groups. The same was stated about a bad accessibility of places with an organic offer. All of the findings might be used and marketers could take advantage of the gaps which occurred on the market.