Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Dietary fibre (DF) has known health benefits, but consumer intake remains below recommended levels. This survey aimed at gathering and structuring information about DF-related attitudes of European consumers, including motivations and barriers, as well as preferred incentives for increasing DF intake. PARTICIPANTS: Representative sample of 7247 subjects from seven countries. SETTING: Online survey. DESIGN: Participants completed a questionnaire focused on knowledge about DF, perceived intake and reactions to incentives. Hierarchical clustering analysis was used to define ‘clusters’ based on response profiles and ‘groups’ based on socio-demographic characteristics. RESULTS: Consumers had a relatively good overall understanding of DF. However, responses to more detailed questions revealed knowledge gaps. Half of respondents said they consumed enough DF. Among proposed incentives for increasing intake, respondents preferred the labelling of fibre-rich products, then the inclusion of fibre in a wide variety of foods. Five answer clusters were identified: ‘committed consumers’ (sufficient DF intake, convinced of benefits), ‘sceptical’ (little DF-related knowledge, unconvinced), ‘informed consumers’ (good DF knowledge, insufficient intake), ‘helpless consumers’ (low intake, unclear about how to increase) and ‘resistant consumers’ (little concern and knowledge, rejection of all incentives). Socio-demographic groups displayed slight differences in response profiles (e.g. relative to the whole sample: white-collar workers tended to be ‘committed’ rather than ‘resistant’ consumers, and seniors tended to be ‘informed’ or ‘helpless’ rather than ‘sceptical’). CONCLUSIONS: This study helped define subpopulations of European consumers based on DF-related attitudes and behaviours. Socio-demographics somewhat explained these differences and should be considered when developing strategies for increasing DF consumption.