Factors Influencing Information Seeking Behaviors For Halal Food Among Malaysian Muslims Consumers In Malaysia

Abstract

In the new global economy, the information-seeking behavior of halal food products has become a central issue for Muslims in Malaysia. However, research and studies have consistently shown the doubt and uncertainty among Muslim consumers in searching for halal food products because of the emergence of many issues in the Malaysian market. Therefore, this study has been conducted to address the factors influencing information-seeking behavior for searching halal food products in the Malaysian market and hence attaining the perception of wholesomeness of halal food through a proposed conceptual framework. Although various models have been previously proposed on information-seeking behavior, none of these models were based on linking human attributes, namely: attitude, habit, and awareness of individuals with process verification. The component of process verification has been added to the adopted conceptual framework to achieve the main objective of the current study which is enhancing the abilities of a searching process for halal food product information among Malaysian Muslim consumers. This study aims to shed light on the process of searching a piece of halal food information by linking the mentioned human attributes with process verification to ensure using credible and trusted information sources and therefore attaining an effective searching process for halal food information. Thus, this study is considered an important contribution to the research in the field of information seeking behavior for halal food products. A structured questionnaire has been developed based on previous studies to achieve the main objectives of this study. 482 questionnaires have been distributed using simple random sampling and geographical sampling to Malaysian Muslim individuals in different areas in Kuala Lumpur. A total of 407 valid questionnaires have been returned and used in the analysis using SPSS and AMOS to test the research hypotheses. The data analysis revealed that the regression coefficient (R2) of 0.799 indicates that 79.9% of the variations in the dependent variable of wholesomeness of halal food are explained by the seven independent variables, i.e., attitude, habit, awareness of individuals, sources of information, process verification, awareness of information, and traceability. The findings of this study suggest that linking between previously mentioned human attributes and process verification ensures the perception of wholesomeness of halal food. Accordingly, this study provides a potential guide to Malaysian Muslim consumers in seeking information for halal food. Since this research is limited to Malaysian Muslim consumers, future research and studies related to non-Muslim consumers in Malaysia and even in other countries might be considered. Accordingly, halal food should be hygienically prepared, treated, and produced so as to be healthily safe for human consumption in general.