Identification of Price and Non-Price Factors Affecting Willingness to Consume Fish Among Households of Urmia City: Application of Ordered Logit Model

Marine and fish products are one of healthy foods that, unfortunately, its consumption in our society is negligible and there is less in the household basket. The main objective research is analysis and identify the price and non-price factors affecting willingness to consume fish among Households of Urmia City in 2016. In this context, the ordered logit model was applied and the required data were collected through a survey and questionnaire based on proportional stratified random sampling (220 samples). Results show that 20 % people were not willingness to consume fish, 9% of whom had little interest in fish consumption, and only 19% had a high tendency to consume it. The results of estimated ordered logit model implied that the living location close to fish shopping mall, existence of elderly people in the household and children under ten years old has a significant impact on increasing willingness to consume fish and also existence people with a specific disease in the household and the price of fish decrease the tendency to use it. The results showed that the people awareness of the benefits of fish consumption and general conditions of purchase (including price, taste, appearance package, easy access to shopping centers and freshness) are not desirable. While based on the results of estimated ordered logit model, the awareness of the benefits of fish and fish general conditions purchase terms effects significantly the frequency of households fish consumption, so that improving both indicators increased dramatically household's fish consumption. If the status of these two indicators are improved by one percent, the probability of more consumption of fish will increase by 2.02% and 645.2% respectively. Also, the results of the calculation of odds ratio criterion indicate that the presence of elderly people in the family and the age of the head of household are the highest (23.3%) and the least (0.977%), respectively, impacts on the probability of increasing the fish consumption. So it is recommended that the West Azerbaijan Fisheries and Agriculture Organizations has attempted to ameliorate status of these indices by effective planning and efficient advertising.