The Consumption of Convenience Foods : Reference Groups and Eating Situations

The theory of reasoned action was applied to study situational influence on the consumption of TV dinners. We investigated five situations, which were either time-related (weekdays vs weekends) or social (''dinner alone'', ''dinner with family'', and ''dinner with friends''). The intention to use a TV dinner decreased from ''alone'' via ''with family'' to ''with friends'', but did not differ between weekdays and weekends. Subjective norms were a stronger influence on intentions than attitudes in all situations, except for ''weekdays'' and ''dinner alone''. Primary reference groups were a stronger influence on intentions than secondary reference groups, and the motivation to comply with a particular reference group increased substantially when it joined for dinner. Consumption frequency for TV dinners was higher in households where the person responsible for meal preparation held a paid job, and it was positively related to the number of hours that this person was employed.