A Hybrid SEM–ANN Approach to Understand Generation Z’s Intention to Purchase Organic Food

In recent years, organic food consumption has gained increasing attention because of rising ecological concerns and health consciousness. Despite favorable attitudes towards sustainable organic consumption, the conversion of intention to purchase into actual behavior remains a challenge, specifically among Generation Z consumers. Thus, the objective of the present study is to examine the socio-environmental determinants influencing organic food consumption among Gen Z consumers in India by extending the theory of planned behavior. We employed a hybrid SEM-ANN predictive approach to analyze data collected from 763 valid responses through a structured self-administered questionnaire. First, SEM was used to test the hypothesized relationships, followed by ANN analysis to capture non-linear associations and ascertain the relative importance of predictor variables. The outcomes reveal that attitude and environmental concern have a positive and significant influence, whereas subjective norm displays a significantly negative influence, and willingness to pay exhibits non-significant influence on intention to purchase. The ANN analysis further strengthens the relative importance of the significant predictors and exhibits satisfactory predictive performance. The study contributes to the literature by incorporating explanatory and predictive modeling techniques to provide a comprehensive insight into Gen Z consumers’ organic food purchase intentions. The findings offer practical implications to various stakeholders such as policymakers and marketers in designing targeted strategies to promote sustainable food consumption among Gen Z consumers in the Indian market.