The perception of palm oil by millennials : a semantic differential approach

The study aims at exploring the consumer perception of products containing palm oil, considering the impact on choices by the recent media campaign on the subject. The exploratory analysis is focused on Millennials and uses the semantic differential methodology. The data are processed using a Multiple Factor Analysis. Moreover, homogeneous clusters of consumers are obtained by using hierarchical clustering on principal components. The results show that the sample is divided in three clusters: the first pays a lot of attention towards the absence of palm oil in food products, considering this aspect as a sign of a healthier product, more natural and with a higher quality; the second shows a higher environmental sensibility; the third does not pay any attention to the absence of palm oil in food products, and considers the issue of its absence as a trend, a sort of status symbol and something that negatively impacts the taste of certain foods. [Publisher's text].