STUDY REGARDING THE RATIONALE OF COFFEE CONSUMPTION ACCORDING TO GENDER AND AGE GROUPS

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1 STUDY REGARDING THE RATIONALE OF COFFEE CONSUMPTION ACCORDING TO GENDER AND AGE GROUPS CRISTINA SANDU * University of Bucharest - Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Romania Abstract This research aims to study why people consume coffee. Thus, we have used a questionnaire to assess consumer behavior regarding coffee selection. The study was conducted on three age groups, each composed of 20 people. The questionnaire used included 10 items with 3 possible answers. The subjects were asked to specify the amount of coffee consumed daily, where they drink coffee most often, and the place from where they buy coffee most often. The data collected from the responses to the questionnaire was processed using the chi square test SPSS statistical software. As such, the research objective was met and the coffee consumption behavioral patterns can be represented as a pyramid and ranked according to all the variables considered in this research. Keywords: coffee, behavior, gender and age differences. 1. INTRODUCTION Researchers have shown that too much caffeine diminishes the power of concentration, inducing a mild but permanent state of confusion. Those who do not consume coffee have better results in exams and tests, probably because they manage to retain the ability to focus for longer periods of time. Thus, it is important to know that a cup of coffee contains about 115 milligrams of caffeine, an espresso (filter) about 80 mg, while a "3 in 1" contains 65 mg of caffeine. Decaffeinated coffee is not totally caffeine-free and it actually contains 3 mg of caffeine. Soft drinks contain about 23 mg of caffeine per can. Motivation has specific features: Effort is the force or power used by an individual in pursuing its objectives. Persistence is related to the concepts of constancy and commitment to adopt a behavior or a task. * address: chrystina29@yahoo.com 18

2 Orientation refers to the quality and stability of behaviors taken and the direction of a person's motivational investment. Motivation is associated with three psychological processes (cognitive perspective): activation, targeting and persistence. 2. METHOD 2.1. Subjects \ Participants For the experiment we randomly selected three groups of 20 subjects each. The first group is composed of individuals of 18 to 25 years of age, of both sexes. The second group was randomly selected and contains only individuals of years of age, of both sexes. The third group is represented by persons of years of age, of both sexes. The questionnaire was applied to all three groups. The tested individuals are all from urban areas, but have different levels of education: gymnasium, high school or university Instruments and applied procedure The instruments used were an important aspect of the project in order to obtain valid data about the preferences of tested subjects. The main tool used in this research was a questionnaire consisting of 10 questions, each with 3 possible answers, which were aimed at coffee drinking preferences Experimental design The research hypothesis of this study is: There is a hierarchy of motives that influence coffee consumption, and these vary by consumer age and gender. The objective of this research is to determine and rank the reasons people drink coffee. The fact that people have different preferences about coffee is well known, but the questionnaire aimed to determine whether the motivation that determines coffee consumption is also different according to age and gender. Being an experiment that attempts to determine and prioritize the reasons that influence coffee consumption, we took into account variables such as: age, gender, education level, the place where coffee is usually consumed, the place from where the coffee is frequently purchased and the amount of coffee consumed daily. 19

3 age (Binned) 3. RESULTS Table 1- Association between age and educational level Item 2 gymnasium high university school <= 25 Count Expected Count % within age (Binned).0% 40.0% 60.0% 100.0% Count Expected Count % within age (Binned).0% 30.0% 70.0% 100.0% 31+ Count Expected Count % within age (Binned) 5.0% 40.0% 55.0% 100.0% Count Expected Count % within age (Binned) 1.7% 36.7% 61.7% 100.0% In order to compare the distribution of value frequencies with regard to the three levels of education and age groups, the chi squared test was utilised. The questionnaire results for all three age categories can be viewed in the table above. Table 2 Association between age and coffee type preference Item 3 instant 3 in 1 espresso age <= 25 Count (Binned) Expected Count % within age (Binned) 10.0% 50.0% 40.0% 100.0% Count Expected Count % within age (Binned) 40.0% 30.0% 30.0% 100.0% 31+ Count Expected Count % within age (Binned) 50.0% 15.0% 35.0% 100.0% Count Expected Count % within age (Binned) 33.3% 31.7% 35.0% 100.0% In order to compare the distribution of value frequencies with regard to coffee type preference and age groups, the chi squared test was utilised. The questionnaire results for all three age categories can be viewed in the table above. 20

4 Table 3- Association between gender and educational level Item 2 gymnasium high school university gender masculine Count Expected Count % within gender.0% 36.7% 63.3% 100.0% feminine Count Expected Count % within gender 3.3% 36.7% 60.0% 100.0% Count Expected Count % within gender 1.7% 36.7% 61.7% 100.0% In order to compare the distribution of value frequencies with regard to levels of education and gender, the chi squared test was utilised. The questionnaire results for both genders can be viewed in the table above. Table 4 - Association between gender and coffee type preference Item 3 instant 3 in 1 espresso gender masculine Count Expected Count % within gender 30.0% 36.7% 33.3% 100.0% feminine Count Expected Count % within gender 36.7% 26.7% 36.7% 100.0% Count Expected Count % within gender 33.3% 31.7% 35.0% 100.0% In order to compare the distribution of value frequencies with regard to coffee type preference and gender, the chi squared test was utilised. The questionnaire results for both genders can be viewed in the table above. Moreover, in oder to further establish the differences between age categories and gender, a descriptive analysis using procentile frequency for each item was used. Results are as follows: 21

5 item2 Table 5- Descriptive analysis using procentile frequency applied to education level Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent gymnasium Valid high school university The data analyzed shows that the majority of the subjects are university graduates. (Of 50 subjects total, 37 are graduates) Table 6- Descriptive analysis using procentile frequency applied to age category item1 Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid The research used a sample of 60 people, the questionnaire being applied to each of the 20 subjects from each age category. Table 7- Descriptive analysis using procentile frequency applied to coffe consumption preference Item5 Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid with milk black other Of the subjects questioned, 50% prefer their coffee black. Table 8- Descriptive analysis using procentile frequency applied to coffe consumption location item6 Frequency Percent Valid Cumulative Percent Percent Valid cafés and bars other public spaces supermarkets

6 The majority of subjects said they buy their coffee from supermarkets. (27 out of 60 => 45%) 3. CONCLUSIONS We started from the idea that people who drink coffee have many reasons to do so and that their motivation may be different by age and gender. Therefore we have divided the subjects into three age categories (18-25 years, years, years), but the result analysis has been also structured by gender. We have applied a 10 question questionnaire, and the results have shown us that there is no statistically significant gender difference as to the reasons that lead to drink coffee. Both women and men choose to drink coffee because it gives them extra energy and what draws them to it is mainly the flavor and its taste. People in the first two age groups said they prefer to drink coffee in public places, and those from the third group said they buy it from the supermarket. In conclusion, these being the results, we can say that there are no gender differences in motivation related to coffee consumption. In the future, it will be necessary to check if there are differences among coffee consumers regarding its effects on attention and visual perception, using psychological tests that measure these dimensions. REFERENCES Bandura, Albert (1986) Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall). Gibson, J.L., Ivancevich, J. M., Donnelly, J. H. Jr., Organizations. Behavior, Structure, Processs. Irwin, McGraw-Hill, Boston, Johns, G. (1998), Organizational Behavior: Understanding and Managing Life at Work, Fourth Edition, Ed. Economica, Bucharest. Maslow, A. (1968) Towards a Psychology of Being 2e, New York: Van Nostrand. 23

7 Questionnaire for measuring coffee consumption motivation No. Statement Answer 1 To which age category do you belong? a b c What is your educational level? a. gymnasium b. high school c. university 3 What kind of coffee do you usually drink? a. instant b. 3 in 1 c. espresso 4 How much coffee do you drink daily? a. 1-2 cups b. 3-5 cups c. more than 5 cups 5 How do you drink your coffee? a. with milk b. black c. other 6 Where do you buy your coffee from? a. cafés and bars b. other public spaces c. supermarket 7 Where do you prefere to drink your coffee? a. at the workplace b. in town c. other 8 How do you decide what coffee to buy? What is your main criteria? 9 What do you apreciate the most about the coffee you drink? a. advertising b. price c. brand a. aroma b. taste c. strength 10 What is the main advantage of drinking coffee? a. increases arterial pressure b. gives extra energy c.determines a state of euforia 24