Perceptions of and Reactions to Sustainability Menu Label Designs

Intention to purchase is measured with the survey question: "How likely would you be to purchase a menu item with this label?" Response options are a 7-point Likert scale: 1=Very unlikely, 2=Unlikely, 3=Somewhat unlikely, 4=Neither likely nor unlikely, 5=Somewhat likely, 6=Likely, 7=Very likely. A higher rating is better.

Label interpretation is assessed with a survey question: "Imagine that you are in a fast-food restaurant (such as Burger King) to order lunch. Next are questions about the label, as displayed on the menu example below. If you saw this label next to an item on the menu, what would you think the label indicates about the item? [check all that apply]". Response options provided are a range of statements about the menu item: 1="This menu item is unhealthy", 2="This menu item is healthy" 3="This menu item is good for the environment", 4="This menu item used a lot of natural resources (e.g. land, water) to produce", 5="This menu item will keep you full for a long time", 6="This menu item is bad for the environment", and 7="This menu item will cost consumers more to purchase". Also included are 8="I don't know" and 9="Other" option with open-text entry.

After viewing the label, participants will be asked how much the participant agrees or disagrees with the following statement: "This label is easy to understand". Response options are a unipolar 5-point Likert scale: 1=Not at all, 2=A little bit, 3=Somewhat, 4=Quite a bit, 5=A great deal. A higher ranking is better.

After viewing the label, participants will be asked how much the participant agrees or disagrees with the following statement: "This label is believable to me". Response options are a unipolar 5-point Likert scale: 1=Not at all, 2=A little bit, 3=Somewhat, 4=Quite a bit, 5=A great deal. A higher ranking is better.

After viewing the label, participants will be asked how much the participant agrees or disagrees with the following statement: "This label grabs my attention". Response options are a unipolar 5-point Likert scale: 1=Not at all, 2=A little bit, 3=Somewhat, 4=Quite a bit, 5=A great deal. A higher ranking is better.

Perceived message effectiveness (PME) is measured using the unipolar 3-item University of North Carolina (UNC)-PME scale. Participants will be asked how much each label discourages consumption of or evokes concern of unpleasantness about consumption of foods with the label. After viewing the label, participants will be asked how much the participant agrees or disagrees with the following statements: "This label discourages me from wanting to eat foods with this label", "This label makes foods with this label seem unpleasant", and "This label makes me concerned about the health effects of eating menu items with this label". Response options are a 5-point Likert scale: 1=Not at all, 2=A little bit, 3=Somewhat, 4=Quite a bit, 5=A great deal. A higher ranking is better.

Perceived label helpfulness is measured with the survey question: "How helpful would you find this label when deciding what to order at a fast-food restaurant?" Response options are a 7-point Likert scale: 1=Very unhelpful, 2=Unhelpful, 3=Somewhat unhelpful, 4=Neither helpful nor unhelpful, 5=Somewhat helpful, 6=Helpful, 7=Very helpful. A higher ranking is better.

Perceived level of appeal of food item is measured after showing participants two different individual menu items separately by label condition. After showing each item, the survey question asks, "How appealing do you think this item is?", and response options are a 7-point Likert scale: 1=Very unappealing, 2=Unappealing, 3=Slightly unappealing, 4=Neither appealing nor unappealing, 5=Slightly appealing, 6=Appealing, 7=Very appealing. A higher ranking is better

Perceived level of healthfulness of labeled food item is measured after showing participants two different individual menu items separately by label condition. After showing each item, the survey question asks, "How healthy do you think this item is?", and response options are a 7-point Likert scale:1=Very unhealthy, 2=Unhealthy, 3=Slightly unhealthy, 4=Neither unhealthy nor healthy, 5=Slightly healthy, 6=Healthy, 7=Very healthy. A higher ranking is better.

Perceived level of environmental impact of labeled food item is measured after showing participants two different individual menu items separately by label condition. After showing each item, the survey question asks, "What do you think the environmental impact of this item is?", and response options are a 7-point Likert scale:1=Extremely high environmental impact, 2=Very high environmental impact, 3=High environmental impact, 4=Moderate environmental impact, 5=Low environmental impact, 6=Very low environmental impact, 7=Extremely low environmental impact.