PURCHASING INTENTION TOWARDS HALAL FOOD AMONG NON-MUSLIM CONSUMERS

Abstract

Halal food has gained considerable popularity across the globe over the past several years. Nonetheless, the concept of halal food has yet to be fully comprehended and emphasized among non-Muslim consumers, including those who have lived in an Islamic country for their entire lives. Non-Muslim consumers‟ knowledge on the value of halal food is quite low. They view the concept as a religious obligation for the Muslims. This after-effect has led non-Muslim consumers to avoid purchasing halal food and disregard the advantages it offers. For these reasons, the objective of the research is to explore whether attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and knowledge influence the intention to purchase halal food among non-Muslim consumers in Malaysia. Accordingly, a survey was conducted in Klang Valley, where 427 non-Muslim respondents clicked and answered a structured questionnaire via SurveyMonkey to gather the relevant information. Based on the multiple linear regression analysis, attitude, subjective norm, and knowledge significantly influence the intention to purchase halal food, while perceived behavioral control did not significantly influence the intention to purchase. The research findings indicate that non-Muslim individuals opt to purchase halal food when they fully comprehend and are well informed by their peers on the value that halal food offers. Consequently, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and marketers in the halal industry must create an effective strategy to educate non-Muslim consumers in Malaysia to prepare for global expansion.