The effect of social media usage, big five personality traits, frugality, and impulse buying behaviour on food waste: moderating role of generational cohorts

Abstract

Every year, one-third of the world’s produced food is wasted, posing a major challenge to sustainable development. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted this issue, including in Malaysia, where reported food waste is equivalent to feeding 3 million people daily. Addressing this crisis is crucial to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of halving global per-capita food waste by 2030. The pandemic reshaped consumer behaviour, amplifying impulse buying driven by fear and uncertainty, leading to stockpiling and food waste. Social media usage surged, potentially influencing consumption decisions, while personality traits and frugality shaped behaviours affecting food waste generation. This study examines the effects of social media usage, the Big Five personality traits, and frugality on food waste, with impulse buying behaviour as a mediator, and investigates Generations X, Y, and Z’s moderating role on social media’s influence on impulse buying behaviour. Guided by the reconceptualised Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model, Five-Factor Model (FFM), and generational cohort theory, a novel model was developed and tested. The S-O-R model examines how stimuli lead to responses via internal processes, while the FFM categorises the Big Five personality traits. Generational cohort theory involves grouping individuals into generations. Data were gathered from 387 Malaysian consumers via an online quantitative survey. Findings revealed social media usage, neuroticism, openness, and frugality predict impulse buying behaviour. Neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness, frugality, and impulse buying behaviour significantly influenced food waste. Impulse buying behaviour mediated the relationships between social media usage, neuroticism, and frugality on food waste. Additionally, Generation X, Y, and Z moderated the effect of social media usage on impulse buying behaviour. These findings provide valuable insights for marketers, policymakers, and civic groups, aiding informed decision-making to reduce food waste and align with Malaysia’s commitment to achieving the SDG on sustainable consumption, despite unprecedented events like the COVID-19 pandemic.