Consumer Perception and Preference of Fast Food: A Study of Tertiary Students in Ghana

摘要

The study explored the perceptions, preferences and factors contributing to the growth of fast food among tertiary students. To meet these objectives, a sample size of 159 consumers was taken from the two leading tertiary institutions in Cape Coast; University of Cape Coast and Cape Coast Polytechnic. Pretested semi-structured questionnaires were administered to the respondents and the data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. The results were presented using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviations, tables and charts). Findings from the study indicated that the growth of fast food is perceived to be as a result of urbanization, people working for long hours, growing interest in exotic meals, advertising, availability of commercial buildings and rise in income. Those who do not patronize fast food perceive them to be unhealthy, expensive and too foreign. Those who patronize however perceive them to be convenient, time saving, delicious, good for fun and change, and expose them to likable environments. To place an order for fast food, consumers prefer them in the form of both "take-away" and 'eat in' services. The most preferred menu happened to be the exotic ones (i.e. Pizza, burger, rice etc). The findings proved to be more significant and revealing as they will help marketers to analyze the behavioral characteristics of consumers' with respect to the consumption of fast foods.