Identifying Consumer Mindsets Related to Sugars Consumption in Canadian Adults

Abstract

Little is known about the attitudes and perceptions towards dietary sugars in Canadian adults. The objective of this study was to use rule-developing experimentation (RDE) to identify consumer mindsets related to dietary sugars in 18–50-year-old Canadians. Following an isomorphic permuted experimental design, participants (n = 269) each rated a unique set of 24 scenarios, each consisting of a distinct mixture of two to four messages about dietary sugars on a 5-point scale. A regression model was created for each respondent, identifying the value that each respondent attributed to each of the 16 messages. K-means clustering revealed three distinct mindset groups as follows: “Sugars Beliefs” (MS1), “Trend Analysts” (MS2), and “Health Seekers” (MS3). In conclusion, this study found that RDE is a useful methodological approach for evaluating how consumers think about dietary sugars and revealed mindset-specific messages that matter most to people who differ in their attitudes toward sugars.