Final Project
MKT 3400 CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR FALL 2017
El Sereno (90032)
Aaron Rodriguez (arodr445@calstatela.edu)
Cindy Espinueva (cespinu@calstatela.edu)
Darren Nursalim (dnursal@calstatela.edu)
David Puga (dpuga3@calstatela.edu)
Monica Centeno (mcenten7@calstatela.edu)
Oscar Argueta (oarguet@calstatela.edu)
Raymond Gutierrez (rgutie31@calstatela.edu)
Samantha Garcia (sgarc241@calstatela.edu)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- El Sereno History and Demographics 3
- First variable: Vegetarian Foods 4
- Second variable: Organic Foods 6
- Third Variable: Fresh Foods 7
- Analysis and recommendations 8
- Reflections 8
- Bibliography 10
- Appendices 12
History and Demographics of the Selected Zip Code
The history of El Sereno traces back to 1771, before the city of Los Angeles was established. From the 1850s to early 1900s it was a collection of farms and ranches. With the Spanish takeover it became part of San Gabriel Mission land. With Mexican rule, the ownership went to Juan Ballesteros, who named his land Rancho Rosa de Castilla. The construction of the Santa Fe, Southern Pacific and Pacific Electric railways brought urban development centering on Huntington Drive, where it remains today. The community is now welcoming the development of the large open space Ascot Park. Adjacent, University Hills, has seen the growth of the large campus of California State University at Los Angeles (El Sereno Historical Society). El Sereno developed into a working class community in the early 20th century, with most tracts subdivided for the development of working class style homes. Developments took place mostly during the late 1940s and 1950s, and slowly expanded over time. El Sereno is now a growing community of about 45,000 people occupied primarily by latinos.
To this day, hispanics primarily occupy area 90032 in comparison to other parts of the Unites States. Based on the ring study by Simply Analytics of 2016, 68.40% of the population is hispanic within a 1 mile radius, and as you move out a bit further to 3 miles, 62.73% of the population are hispanic. Asian population presents 21.33% Black population 2.16% and White population 41.30%. El Sereno community presents an extremely low percentage in black population and surprisingly follow through White community. Although the hispanic population is decreasing as you move away from El Sereno, still they have a prominent presence in this area compared to the U.S. average. The average percentage of hispanics in an average area within the U.S. is 17.7%, which is about 4 times less than the 1 mile radius.
Language is another main key factor that people worries about when moving to a neighborhood based on Simply Analytics we can discover El Sereno community in 2016 main language speak in this community is Spanish with 52.22% versus English 24.12% within 3 miles radius and 5 miles radius Spanish and English are showing on the Analytics very similar percentages, but United States average has located English with 73.95% which is the majority and Spanish speakers with an extremely lower percent as 12.25%. We analyze other languages spoken in El Sereno and Asian Languages are the next bigger sections with 15.71% competing with Spanish speakers but not many European Languages are spoken in this community this sector only presents 1.37% and only grows about 1% more within 5 miles radius and compare to the US average this information seems to be stable because only about 3.53% of the US speak European Languages.
Just as important, we analyzed the income of this postal code to help us interpret the wealth or if it is poverty- stricken. Simply Analytics helped us identify El Sereno public community stands in a stable and a relatively average position compared to the US average. Households with Incomes with less than $15,000 in 2016 are about 12.25% within a 1 mile radius, and 13.74% within a 3 miles radius, compared to the US average of 10.73%. We found that El Sereno is doing good compared to the average, but compared to the other cities within 3 and 5 miles radius this zip code is a bit behind due to nearby cities that are acquiring more income. Even though United States average is slightly under the ideal, it seems like El Sereno community is still a low-middle class that is steadily growing. Furthermore, there are other percentages shown in the ring study for Households with income from 50,000 to 74,999 with 17.08% and 75,000 to 99,999 with 12.13%. These Households income percentages are above the average from their near neighborhoods and US average, meaning that this is a more educated and prepared area.
The lower income average of El Sereno can be tied into the education level of the area compared to the 3 and 5 mile radius as well as the rest of the nation. Compared to the 3 mile radius they only have a 3% difference however when they compare it to the national statistics they are more than 7% less educated than the average. This lower amount of educated individuals could be the reason why the average income of the area is lower than the 3 mile and 5 mile radius as well as the nation as a whole.
As education becomes essential throughout the ring study and plays a crucial role, we see very interesting statistics in comparison with the 3 mile, 5 mile, and nation radius. For example the percentage of those who have a Bachelor's degree in the area of El Sereno (90032) is 14% compared to the 3 and 5 mile percentage, which are two percentages above the 14%. The nation’s rating is four percent greater than the 14%. Some reasons why the comparison to the 1 mile radius percentage and the nation’s percentage are so far apart is having the lack resources and supplies for students to prevail in order to graduate.
Variable 1: Vegetarian Foods
Looking first, at the attitudes towards vegetarianism in our area, we discovered in our ring study that less than a quarter of the population identified with this sustainable lifestyle. In the book titled “Vegan Designs,” it describes the psychographics that make up the different categories of vegetarians that go beyond their diet. As might be expected, vegetarians want to avoid exploitation that go even beyond the food industry and apply to other aspects of their life. These categories are characterized by how invested the consumer is into this lifestyle; e.g., clothing material acquisition, animal testing in the cosmetic industry, and being environmentally conscious just to name a few (Dietrich, Fischer, & Walcher, 2016). One specific quality true to the nature of vegetarians is the value they place on responsible consumerism.
It is important to recognize the effect price will have on the products the individual deems important to their lifestyle. Put simply, the vegetarian community are typically less price sensitive to purchasing goods that support their views (Dietrich et al., 2016). It is through these goods that consumers define themselves and what they stand for. This is significant because it explains why there is not as much vegetarian participation in area 90032. As was illustrated earlier, El Sereno is a low-income area that would suggest the population would be more concerned with the cost of a product, rather than raise a concern for sustainability. For this reason, it is important for consumers to understand vegetarianism and the importance of being environmentally friendly.
It is also important to understand that people in El Sereno area are starting to become more aware of what it means to vegetarian rather than non-vegetarian as an option to sustainable consumption of eating healthier. Statistics and maps, however, are showing a slow growing consumption in this community. Only about one third of the community shows positive lifestyle attitudes through eating healthy foods, about 3.84%-11.07% agree to be vegetarian which on the map is about half of the third, and the other half is reacting strongly positive towards vegetarian food with a 28.12%- 30.14% compared to the near cities with lower percentages and attitudes towards vegetarianism. According to food-related lifestyle and health attitudes “Vegetarian diets are not only associated with a decreased frequency of meat consumption, moreover with a particular belief or lifestyle.” Practicing or being vegetarian goes more deeper than just being healthy, it implies your moral and ethical beliefs about that consist on killing animals and how you react to this kind of social issues. Some people in other areas might opt to be vegetarian to stay healthy and maintain a diet, while others might be more conscious of the environment and animal abuse.
Furthermore, comparing ring studies based on opinions and attitudes in regards to organic food population agree a lot with a 15.85%, and then the statistics drops to a 10.76% with a population agreeing a little, and ironically statements shows a big raise of 10% with people not agreeing at all to eat healthy. Even though this ring study demonstrates that higher percent of the people disagree in maintaining a healthy life and consuming organic and vegetarian foods based on google scholar article “Model of the process of adopting vegetarian diets,” it states “interest in vegetarian diets is growing due to health and animal welfare concerns.”This suggests that as time passes on, El Sereno community is adapting and changing their attitudes to consume vegetarian foods.
With this in mind, our ring study also showed the amount of the population that are uneducated in El Sereno is higher in comparison to the rest of the United states. This lack of education is likely a possible reason for there being a small amount of vegetarians. Many people don't understand that vegetarianism is a viable option to offset the effects of our increasing demand for animal consumption. Consequences such as deforestation and climate change will be necessary to produce the intake for animal products (Dietrich et al., 2016). That being said, we can assume most of these people are uneducated on the irreversible effects and implications that occur as a result of these actions. Examining the ring study closer, those with attitudes aligning with Vegetarianism are all clustered in the same small area. This could be a contributing factor to its spread because people are getting better understanding of vegetarianism through their neighbors.
Though all these findings could suggest that price is a major factor as to why less consumers choose to be vegetarian, other studies show that cost may not be the main reason for this choice. A study on low-income consumers shows that location and convenience plays an integral role in their shopping habits. Many consumers find themselves shopping at centrally located one-stop shop supermarkets. Being cost effective was more stressful and inconvenient for consumers who struggles to go to more than one shop to get better deals on certain products (Webber, Sobal & Dollahite, 2010). Going into one shop also saves them time. Though the supermarket price may be slightly higher than those at smaller local markets, consumers expressed the price was worth being less stressed. The problem with these one-stop shop supermarkets is that consumers buy groceries to last their household for weeks. So, although these consumers do purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, their shelf life does not last as long. Once the fresh produce is consumed, they eat alternative food such as meats, canned food, etc. (Webber et al., 2010). Especially for a location like El Sereno, there are not many big supermarkets in the area. So shopping fresh produce all the time may not be as convenient for them. The small area of El Sereno that has many vegetarians, live on the border to other cities that do have more options for shopping more healthy, such as Trader Joe’s and Sprouts. Though there are some small local stores that sell fruits and vegetables, consumers also seem to care about the aesthetics of a market. They are more prone to shop in big markets with bigger aisles, good lighting, neatly shelved products, and fresher/cleaner looking produce.
Variable 2: Organic Foods
There are many key elements in the ring study that we found such as those who watch what they eat in buying organic foods and attitudes towards organic foods. Households who are changing their eating habits and buying foods that are labeled organic in the 1 mile radius is 10.34% as compared to the 3 and 5-mile radius, which is relativity the same in the 10.31% - 10.34% range. The nation’s percentage of households changing their eating habits is roughly the same with 10.42%. According to, “The Availability and Cost of Healthier Food Alternatives” healthier market baskets are significantly more expensive than market baskets that don’t contain foods that are labeled “organic”. We see the percentages the same with the 1 mile radius and the nation’s radius because of the reason of organic foods or foods that are natural and healthier tend to be more expensive. Certain foods also have a higher price than foods not labeled “organic”. For example, whole wheat bread, low-ground meat, and skinless free range poultry. It also states in the article that small grocery stores in the lower income community will stock up and have the discounted name brands rather than having the high-end brands. In addition, with the small grocery stores doing this the consumers won’t be able to buy foods that have a high in fiber and foods that are organic.
Health decisions play a role in deciding what a person wants to eat. According to Nina Michaelidou and Louise M. Hassan, “Health-conscious consumers are aware and concerned about their state of well-being and are motivated to improve and/or maintain their health and quality of life…” (Michaelidou & Hassan, 2008). This can be demonstrated in the ring study by analyzing the percentage of consumers in 2015 who bought organic/natural food when watching their diet. Roughly 14.67% within a one-mile radius, 13.60% within a three-mile radius, and 14.29% within a five-mile radius. Compared to the national average of 13.17%, the percentage of El Sereno/East Los Angeles population tends to be greater than the national average. This could be due to the availability of organic food in the area.
A major role in deciding whether to buy organic food is the price. The percentage of El Sereno/East Los Angeles population with income over $75,000 is 62.59% with most of that percentage coming from households with income over $100,000. Ulf Hjelmar notes in his report, “Many also said that the household economy was very important for them and that they were aware of the “good bargains” (Hjelmar, 2011). It is important to note, Hjelmar conducted interviews with individuals to gain their perspectives. During the interviews, consumers agreed organic food is healthier for them and at times they did buy it. Per the interview, “…my limit is twice the price. If the price of the organic products is the double of traditional products it becomes too much luxury for me” (Hjelmar, 2011). Considering the income level of El Sereno/East Los Angeles, most of the population would not have to worry much about the price of organic food. However, per the ring study,10.34% of the population within a one mile radius,10.31% of the population within a three-mile radius, and 10.30% of the population within a five-mile radius buy food labeled as “organic” or “natural”. Moreover, the average U.S. percentage is 10.42%, greater than El Sereno/East Los Angeles.
A question that can arise due to the contradicting ideas is “how can the population have a higher income than the national average; however, tend to not buy as much organic food”? Well, to answer that question, we must first ask if the information about organic food is being transmitted. To answer that question, we look at the education block in the ring study. According to the ring study, roughly 66.24% of the population has greater than or equal to a high school education, that means 33.76% of the population has less than a high school education. Regardless of the higher percentage of education within a one-mile radius, that 33.76% is still a high number. According to Hjelmar, the country of Denmark has a high level of education which could explain why they have a high proportion of consumers of organic food (Hjelmar, 2011).
Variable 3: Fresh Produce
A recurring theme in both vegetarian and organic foods in low-income areas is their low availability. This is no different for fresh produce options in these same areas. The high prices of fresh produce is likely a reason for why the area does not want to purchase fresh produce. There is a notable difference between the prices of fresh produce when comparing high-income to low-income neighborhoods. We used the number of grocery stores and farmer’s markets to determine fresh produce availability.
El Sereno also has no grocery stores in its residential neighborhoods. They dot the two main roads that run through El Sereno, Huntington Drive and Valley Boulevard. The same is true for farmer’s markets. However, when on the two main roads it is easy to access stores that sell fresh produce. A store was reachable approximately every half mile.
The article, Disparities in Access to Fresh Produce in Low-Income Neighborhoods in Los Angeles highlights the dramatic difference in prices and accessibility to fresh produce when comparing high-income to low-income neighborhoods. Their study also found that these lower-income neighborhoods had lower overall education levels when ato the higher-income ones.
Fresh food is extremely beneficial for an individual’s health, but it also comes at a price. The greatest thing about fresh food is that it is not processed in any way. However, because it is a healthy option its supply is either very limited, very pricey, or both especially in low-income areas such as El Sereno. In the article, Increasing Access to Fresh Produce by Pairing Urban Farms with Corner Stores: A Case Study in a Low-income Urban Setting, it is discussed that low-income areas fail to give people the opportunity to consume fresh food. One of the many observations made from El Sereno’s zip code is that like any other low-income area, corner stores are far more popular than produce stores. What this shows is that because of the demographic in the area, produce stores are rare and substituted by corner stores that fail to carry fresh food. Oddly enough, the ring study shows that a high percentage of consumers in the zip code of 90032 do consume fresh food. The percentage lies between 71.57% and 80.22%, which is extremely impressive considering the handicap. Of course, if one factors in the ages in El Sereno then the article applies much more to the area. The reason for that is in the article it is stated that when the produce was available in these low-income areas for a span of nine weeks, 86% of the produce was sold. This leads to the assumption that if given the opportunity, the people that live in these low-income areas will choose the higher-priced fresh food. This has to do with a large number of the population in these areas being relatively young. The younger consumers usually lean toward choosing the healthier lifestyle whether it is for health itself or because it is the popular thing to do. The El Sereno area has a higher percentage of individuals between the ages of 25 to 34 than the country’s percentage. The article speaks about these same consumers regarding their families. With the rate of childhood obesity rising, one can assume that these parents are not only shopping healthy for their own sake but for the sake of their kids. The ring study also shows that outside of the low-income area that is El Sereno, the number of fresh food consumption is at the highest of the scale and the demographic is different even just a mile away. It appears the collective idea that both the article and our research share is that El Sereno is subject to a common problem regarding fresh food and low-income neighborhoods no matter how willing the lifestyle of the consumers is.According to The real reason no one buys produce in low-income areas, “Lower income areas tend to not have access to fresh produce because they can not get to a grocery store with it. Lower income areas can’t transport themselves to places that have fresh food and settle for convenience stores where there are no healthy options and have cigarettes.” This lack of ability to transport themselves has lead them to stray away from fresh produce. This lack of access has also created a lack of interest in looking for fresh produce. Another reason why there is no accessible fresh produce is because there is no interest from convenience store owners to provide fresh produce because of the cost and the lack of interest from customers.
Analysis and Recommendations
After reviewing all the data and the trends from the El Sereno zip code, it is important to review why the results came out the way they did. For example, the ring study for the consumption of fresh food shows that El Sereno does well despite there being very few sources for fresh produce. This speaks volumes about the willingness of the El Sereno population to find ways of consuming healthier foods. Not only that, but in comparison to neighboring areas that have advantages, they do not stay far behind. The matter then becomes about improving those already impressive statistics. Most recommendations are on a larger scale meaning significant changes such as adding more produce stores. If companies could see the type of commitment El Sereno’s population has to consuming fresh food, perhaps this would encourage them to open up shop in the low-income area. It is all a matter of consumers remaining consistent in order to show these statistics are not temporary but rather the perfect business opportunity for big produce companies. Another solution could be smaller vendors adding fresh produce to their inventory. Granted, it is not so simple to sign on with a fresh produce distributor. In fact, small vendors could see it as a risk. However, if the trade off means a healthier population along with revenue from a newly acquired product, the risk may well be worth it. If neither of these options are considered then perhaps the produce stores that already have fresh foods available can help the population. In each of the articles it was expressed that these fresh foods were either too expensive or just too exclusive. Existing produce stores can not only increase their inventory of fresh foods, but they can also make sure the foods can be bought at a reasonable price. Of course, these produce stores need to consider their profits meaning the price could only drop a small amount. After assuming the population’s determination to consume healthy foods, one can also assume that any price drop would be appreciated. The consumers would not be expecting free fresh food, but rather a friendly price drop that allows them to add these healthy foods to their shopping list. Ultimately, the goal would be making these fresh foods more accessible for consumers and their families.
Reflections
When we gathered as a group to examine zip code 90032, we observed that most of the residency primarily consisted of apartments and older homes. We also noticed there was a lack of green areas due to the dense population in the area. To put differently, we noticed there was not many trees and the greenery surrounding their homes was dry and dead. This suggested that it limits the amount of vegetation to be grown locally or even open areas where people could grow their own gardens. Another potential factor we observed was the amount of convenience stores within small bounds. This is significant because it prevents consumers from accessing fresh produce and settle for other products sold at these shops. Collectively, we learned there is a correlation between affordability and attitudes in regards to vegetarianism, organic foods, and fresh produce in the area-code of 90032. Their low income discourages consumers to demand access to high quality produce in comparison to areas with higher incomes. As organic and fresh foods become the norm it will be difficult for the community to buy these foods labeled organic due to the high price compared to the discounted non brands foods they receive in the small neighborhood corner stores.
Overall, it was an enriching learning experience in which we could enhance our knowledge on neighboring cities. By walking around El Sereno/East Los Angeles we were better able to understand the communities around us. We evaluated their consumption behavior by paying attention to their houses, cars, and trash/recycling bins to name a few. It is staggering to see how neighboring cities could have such different views in terms of food based. We all learned that choice in food consumption is not just limited to food preferences. Factors such as price, convenience, location, and availability all play an integral role.
Cited Page
Annet C. Hoek, Pieternel A. Luning, Annette Stafleu, & Cees de Graff. “Food-Related Lifestyle
and Health Attitudes of Dutch Vegetarians, Non-Vegetarian Consumers of Meat Substitutes, and Meat Consumers.” Appetite, Academic Press, 6 Feb. 2004, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S019566630300196X.
Gemma C. Harper, Aikaterini Makatouni, (2002) "Consumer perception of organic food production and farm animal welfare", British Food Journal, Vol. 104 Issue: 3/4/5,pp.287-299, https://doi.org/10.1108/00070700210425723
Dietrich, M., Fischer, M., & Walcher, D. (2016). Vegan Design. Lulu. com.
El Sereno Historical Society. (n.d.). Retrieved October 1, 2017, from
http://www.elserenohistoricalsociety.org/
Gudzune, K. A., Welsh, C., Lane, E., Chissell, Z., Steeves, E. A., & Gittelsohn, J. (2015).
Increasing access to fresh produce by pairing urban farms with corner stores: a case study in a low-income urban setting. Public Health Nutrition, 18(15), 2770–2774. http://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980015000051
Hjelmar, U. (2011). Consumers’ purchase of organic food products. A matter of
convenience and reflexive practices. Appetite, 56(2), 336-344.
Jennifer Jabs, Carol Davis, & Jeffery Sobal. “Model of the Process of Adopting Vegetarian
Diets:
Health Vegetarians and Ethical Vegetarians.” Journal of Nutrition Education, Elsevier, 29
Jetter, K. M., & Cassady, D. L. (2006, January 17). The Availability and Cost of Healthier Food Alternatives. Retrieved October 09, 2017, from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749379705003351
Michaelidou, N., & Hassan, L. M. (2008). The role of health consciousness, food safety concern
and ethical identity on attitudes and intentions towards organic food. International
Journal of Consumer Studies, 32(2), 163-170.
Seinfeld, Keith. “The real reason no one buys produce in low-Income areas.” KNKX,
knkx.org/post/real-reason-no-one-buys-produce-low-income-areas.
Susan J. Algert, PhD, RD, Aditya Agrawal, MA, Douglas S. Lewis, PhD (2006).
Disparities in Access to Fresh Produce in LowIncome Neighborhoods in Los Angeles. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Volume 30, Number 5
Webber, C. B., Sobal, J., & Dollahite, J. S. (2010). Shopping for fruits and vegetables. Food and
retail qualities of importance to low-income households at the grocery store. Appetite, 54(2), 297-303.
Appendices
Comments
Post a Comment