The study used a survey of 100 rice consumers in Makassar City, South Sulawesi, to identify and validate 13 preference attributes. These covered product-information cues, including packaging, brand and certification labels; intrinsic qualities, including rice variety, quality grade and sensory characteristics; accessibility factors, including place of purchase and proximity; and economic considerations, including price flexibility, price stability and perceived price–quality alignment. The researchers then selected 20 key informants from production, milling, distribution, retailing, certification, extension, policy and market-coordination roles.

ISM was used to model relationships among the 13 preference attributes. Experts assessed directional relationships through pairwise comparisons and discussion, and the resulting judgments were used to construct a structural self-interaction matrix, reachability matrix and MICMAC classification. This stage assessed each attribute’s driving power and dependence. The researchers then translated selected attributes into six operational strategies and used AHP to rank them against impact, feasibility, cost, time to impact, risk and scalability.

The MICMAC analysis classified packaging type and packaging brand as relatively strong drivers, while package size and certification labels were linkage elements. Variety origin and price stability were classified as dependent attributes. This means the analysis did not treat variety origin as an independent structural driver, although the authors considered it a visible outcome of upstream quality governance, varietal integrity, credible labeling and market communication.

AHP results ranked variety-origin traceability first, with a global weight of 0.4372, and standardized rice grading and quality-control protocols second, with a global weight of 0.2405. The remaining priorities, in descending order, were sensory-quality improvement, a certification roadmap, packaging-brand assurance, and availability and proximity optimization. The highest weights among the evaluation criteria were assigned to impact, feasibility and cost, followed by time to impact, risk and scalability.

The reported consistency ratio for the final harmonized AHP group matrix was 0.000. The authors cautioned that this value reflects mathematical consistency after expert judgments were reviewed and harmonized, not identical judgments from every expert or certainty about the real-world effectiveness of the strategies. Individual consistency ratios before harmonization were not retained in the main reporting table, according to the methods description, although the article states that they are reported in Supplementary Table S1.

Grading and quality control were interpreted as coordination mechanisms as well as technical procedures. The study noted that transparent grading can translate intrinsic attributes into standardized market signals, while post-harvest practices such as drying, milling, moisture control and storage affect grain integrity and sensory performance. Traceability, certification and labeling were likewise presented as collective governance arrangements involving farmers, millers, distributors, retailers, certification bodies and regulators, rather than as tools that improve the system when used by one actor alone.

The authors identified three practical priorities for Indonesia: piloting variety-origin traceability in selected rice-producing regions, strengthening grading and quality control at milling and distribution stages, and coordinating certification and labeling among producer groups, millers, retailers and local government agencies. They also proposed support for certified seed systems, varietal identification, farmer training, improved milling and storage infrastructure, and affordable traceability tools so that smallholders can participate in quality-based markets.

The study has several limitations. Its expert panel was purposively selected rather than statistically representative, the results are specific to Indonesia’s institutional and consumer context, and the structural model represents a static set of preference relationships rather than changing market conditions. The authors state that the framework should be used for designing pilots and not as evidence of measured sustainability benefits. They say further empirical validation is needed to determine whether traceability, grading and sensory improvements affect post-harvest losses, resource-use efficiency, farmer incentives, consumer willingness to pay and value distribution.

Subject of Research: Decision-support modelling of consumer preferences and value-chain upgrading in Indonesia’s rice sector

Article Title: Consumer driven governance for sustainable rice systems through traceability and quality upgrading in Indonesia

Article References: Astaman, P., Darma, R., Akzar, R., Kamarulzaman, N. H., Nishantha, B., Amir, A. A., Syam, S. H., Azkar, R., & Ardiansyah, M. F. P. (2026). Consumer driven governance for sustainable rice systems through traceability and quality upgrading in Indonesia. Discover Sustainability, 7(1), Article 1649. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-026-04279-2

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s43621-026-04279-2

Keywords: Indonesia, rice value chains, consumer preferences, traceability, quality control, interpretive structural modelling, Analytic Hierarchy Process, food governance, decision support, Consumer, driven, governance

The study was conducted by Joseph Lobo, Wendy T. Cortez, and Loui Maie C. Rivera of Bulacan State University, with Lobo also affiliated with INTI International University in Malaysia. Their setting was unusual and deliberately chosen: the Physical Activity Towards Health and Fitness (PATH-Fit) courses that Filipino undergraduates must complete. In this environment, sportswear is not a discretionary fashion statement but a practical requirement for movement, participation, and confidence in physically active coursework. The researchers framed the purchase decision through the lens of behavioral economics, treating each sportswear purchase as an everyday negotiation between functional need, budget constraint, and identity-related preference rather than a simple act of taste.

The data came from a cross-sectional survey administered online between October and December 2024 to first- and second-year students enrolled in PATH-Fit courses. Of 445 initial responses, 401 valid responses were retained after data cleansing, a response rate of 82.02 percent. The sample was predominantly young: 72.1 percent of participants were aged 18 to 20, with a mean age of 19.17 years, and 72.6 percent were freshmen. Just over half identified as heterosexual women (50.6 percent), 43.1 percent as heterosexual men, and 6.2 percent as LGBTQIAP+ members. Geographically, the respondents were split almost evenly between rural (36.2 percent), urban (34.2 percent), and suburban (29.7 percent) areas. Financially, the picture was striking: 67.8 percent spent less than 500 Philippine pesos—roughly nine US dollars—per month on casual sportswear, underscoring how tight the budget constraints are for this population.

The methodological rigor behind these numbers deserves attention. The researchers calculated that a minimum of 365 participants was needed based on institutional enrollment of roughly 7,000 PATH-Fit students, using a 95 percent confidence level and a 5 percent margin of error. An a priori power analysis using G*Power 3.1 confirmed that the achieved sample of 401 exceeded the thresholds required for both independent samples t-tests (128 participants for a medium effect size) and one-way analysis of variance with nine groups (260 participants). The survey instrument, adapted without modification from a validated questionnaire, achieved a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.88, indicating high internal consistency. Fifteen sportswear attributes were rated, spanning fitting, comfort, color, design, quality, fabric properties, figure, price, raw material properties, brand, sewing properties, accessory properties, fashion, advertisement and promotion, and peer influence.

The descriptive results tell a clear story. Comfort scored highest at 4.70 on a five-point scale, followed closely by quality at 4.67, fabric properties at 4.43, fitting at 4.38, and price at 4.26—all interpreted as very important. Attributes such as design, color, fashion, figure, raw material properties, sewing properties, and accessory properties fell into the important category, with means between 3.44 and 3.99. At the bottom of the hierarchy sat brand (3.07), advertisement and promotion (3.27), and peer influence (3.23), all rated only moderately important. In behavioral economics terms, students evaluated sportswear primarily through utilitarian and value-sensitive criteria, with symbolic and socially transmitted cues playing a distinctly secondary role.

But the averages conceal meaningful heterogeneity beneath the surface. When the researchers ran independent samples t-tests and one-way ANOVAs across sexual identity, age, year level, geographic area, and monthly expenditure, significant group differences emerged for several attributes. Heterosexual women rated comfort, quality, fabric properties, price, and sewing properties significantly higher than heterosexual men, with post hoc mean differences ranging from 0.200 to 0.353. LGBTQIAP+ respondents assigned greater importance to fashion and advertisement or promotion, rating fashion 0.592 points higher than heterosexual men and 0.556 points higher than heterosexual women. These respondents also rated comfort, quality, and sewing properties more highly than heterosexual men in selected comparisons. The effect sizes, measured as eta-squared, were small—ranging from 0.011 to 0.042—meaning sexual identity accounted for roughly 1 to 4 percent of the variance in how students rated these factors.

Year level proved more consequential than chronological age. Freshmen rated price significantly higher than sophomores (4.37 versus 3.97, Cohen’s d of 0.415) and also assigned greater importance to sewing properties (4.03 versus 3.75, d of 0.272). No significant differences emerged across age groups for any of the fifteen attributes, suggesting that institutional position and immediate budget vigilance matter more than age itself within a relatively compact student population. The researchers interpret this pattern as evidence that first-year students, who may have less disposable income and less experience navigating campus life, are especially attentive to affordability and durability because these attributes reduce the risk of poor purchases in an environment where repeated classroom use makes mistakes costly.

Geography and expenditure each told their own partial story. Across geographic areas, only fitting, color, and figure differed significantly, with small effect sizes between 0.018 and 0.024, suggesting that location shapes appearance-related judgments modestly while core evaluations of comfort, quality, and affordability remain stable. Monthly expenditure produced the most striking single finding: brand was the only attribute that differed significantly across spending groups, with an F-statistic of 3.869, a p-value of 0.004, and an eta-squared of 0.038—small to approaching moderate. Higher-spending students assigned greater importance to brand, suggesting that branding becomes behaviorally salient only when consumers have sufficient financial room to treat symbolic and relational value as actionable, whereas students under tighter budget constraints continue to privilege functionality and affordability.

The theoretical architecture underlying these findings draws on two complementary frameworks. The Theory of Planned Behavior, developed by Icek Ajzen, holds that behavior is shaped by attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control—precisely the forces that operate when desirability, social expectations, and affordability collide in a purchase decision. Identity economics, articulated by George Akerlof and Rachel Kranton, adds that identity enters the utility function itself, explaining why consumers facing similar material conditions may still make different choices because those choices carry social and self-definitional meaning. Together, these perspectives suggest that sportswear purchasing is a hybrid act in which utility, feasibility, and identity are jointly negotiated rather than sequentially considered. The Philippine data support this view: functional priorities dominate, but identity-linked preferences recalibrate the weighting of specific attributes across groups without overturning the broader hierarchy.

The practical implications extend beyond the campus. For higher education institutions, the findings suggest that supporting access to reasonably priced, functionally appropriate sportswear—perhaps through supplier partnerships or student-oriented initiatives—could reduce avoidable barriers to participation in movement-based coursework. For sportswear brands, the message is that university students should be approached primarily as value-sensitive consumers who prioritize comfort, durability, fit, and affordability over branding or promotional appeal alone, though targeted strategies that acknowledge identity expression and fashion consciousness among specific segments may still find traction. The researchers caution that their sample came from a single institution, relied on self-reported responses, and used purposive sampling, all of which limit generalizability. Future work across multiple institutions, longitudinal designs tracking how preferences shift as students progress, and mixed-methods approaches exploring how students interpret comfort, affordability, and identity in their own words could deepen the picture. For now, the study offers a compelling, data-driven portrait of how young consumers in a physically demanding educational setting weigh what a garment does against what it says— and find that what it does matters far more.

Subject of Research: Consumer attribute prioritization and sociodemographic variation in sportswear purchasing among Filipino university students

Article Title: Sportswear preferences and purchase decisions among Filipino university students: a sociodemographic analysis

Article References: Lobo, J., Cortez, W. T., & Rivera, L. M. C. (2026). Sportswear preferences and purchase decisions among Filipino university students: a sociodemographic analysis. Frontiers in Behavioral Economics, 5, Article 1809068. https://doi.org/10.3389/frbhe.2026.1809068

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3389/frbhe.2026.1809068

Keywords: sportswear, consumer behavior, behavioral economics, university students, Philippines, purchase decisions, physical education, brand preference, budget constraints, identity economics, survey research, consumer preferences

The study is grounded in a rich body of research on physical activity behind bars. Sports and exercise are among the few activities incarcerated people can actively choose, and decades of evidence link them to improved physical and mental health, better quality of life, and more positive behavior during confinement. As far back as 1982, the American Medical Association issued a manual on exercising for the incarcerated, and correctional institutions worldwide have experimented with weightlifting, yoga, cardio programs, and team sports alongside nutrition and substance abuse interventions. Participation in prison sports has been tied to structured daily routines, greater confidence and self-esteem, improved emotional regulation, reduced impulsivity and aggression, and even lower reoffending rates after release. These findings rebut common misbeliefs that competitive sports breed aggression or that physical activity disrupts prison management.

What remains unclear is how these benefits translate into post-release careers. Many people continue their training routines after release, viewing sport as a way to challenge criminal record stigma and reconnect with the community. Some even launch coaching businesses. The New York-based gym CONBODY, for example, offers private training sessions and fitness products while branding itself as founded by an inmate and run by former inmates, promoting its model as prison-style. Entrepreneurship appeals broadly to incarcerated people: courses on starting a business rank among the most popular offerings on tablet-based educational platforms available in prisons. Yet whether the public would actually pay for services from entrepreneurs with prison records was an open empirical question.

To answer it, the researchers embedded a conjoint experiment in a national YouGov survey of 1,100 U.S. adults collected in summer 2025, weighted to mirror the demographic composition of the American population. Conjoint experiments are a powerful tool for isolating causal effects: respondents repeatedly choose between two hypothetical options whose characteristics are randomly varied, allowing researchers to calculate how much each attribute changes the probability of selection. In this case, each respondent evaluated five paired comparisons of hypothetical trainers for a 20-year-old family member, generating 10,990 profile choices. The trainers varied on six dimensions: race, presented as a 30-year-old White or Black man; price, $30 or $80 per hour; certification by the National Academy of Sports Medicine or no credential; client references or none; online or in-person instruction; and, crucially, where they began their fitness journey, in prison, in the military, as a college student athlete, or as a gym member after work.

The results were striking. Compared with trainers who began working out as an after-work gym member, trainers who began in prison were 19.9 percentage points less likely to be recommended, confirming the researchers’ first pre-registered hypothesis. Other attributes behaved as expected: NASM certification raised the probability of recommendation by 22.1 percentage points, client references by 12.3 points, while charging $80 instead of $30 per hour cut it by 16.3 points and offering online rather than in-person classes cut it by 12.2 points. In a twist, Black trainers were 3.7 percentage points more likely to be recommended than White trainers, a pattern the authors suggest may reflect positive stereotyping of racial minorities as athletic, though they caution that the relationship between race, criminal records, and stigma remains complex and contested in the broader literature.

When the researchers modeled how these factors operated specifically for trainers with prison records, the picture grew more nuanced. Overall, trainers with prison records faced a 28.5 percentage point penalty relative to those without. Credentials and references retained their general positive effects, but neither significantly improved the standing of trainers with records beyond that baseline. More intriguingly, the aversion to online classes was significantly weaker for trainers with prison records, suggesting that some respondents preferred to work with them remotely rather than face to face, presumably out of safety concerns. The preference for cheaper instruction was also attenuated: among trainers with prison records, raising the price from $30 to $80 per hour reduced the probability of recommendation by an estimated 11.8 points rather than 17.8, hinting that premium pricing may make such services feel distinguished rather than suspect.

Open-ended responses collected after the experiment illuminated the quantitative patterns. The overwhelming stated deciding factors were price, qualifications signaled by certification and experience, and in-person instruction, with many respondents explicitly saying that prison history or race did not matter compared with credentials and reviews. But when the training background was mentioned directly, prison came up more often than military, college, or gym settings, usually in the language of danger and risk. Comments included that a convict could be dangerous after all, that prison was a disqualifier, and that respondents might select such a trainer for themselves but would not expose family members. Some said they might change their minds after learning the offense, and several noted that online instruction seemed to carry less risk. Others questioned whether fitness gained in prison reflected genuine discipline or simply a forced way to pass time.

Not every respondent rejected formerly incarcerated trainers. Some expressed awareness of injustices in the criminal legal system, including collateral consequences and racial overrepresentation, and said they were open to supporting ex-prisoners who had turned their lives around. One respondent even viewed a White man’s prison record as more concerning than average given structural advantages, illustrating how social justice reasoning cut in different directions. The authors argue these responses point to concrete strategies: marketing prison-forged fitness expertise as a distinguishing feature, packaging services with the glossy premium presentation used by high-end gyms, and framing businesses around redemption and social justice aims that consumers increasingly want brands to reflect.

The policy implications center on prison programming. Because remote instruction partially offsets stigma, the authors recommend that prisons expand digital literacy training, helping incarcerated people navigate the social media and smartphone landscape they were isolated from, especially since returning citizens often face steep technology barriers. Delivering online services also demands communication and interpersonal skills many people behind bars lack, and running a business demands more still, making entrepreneurship and small business management courses vital. Despite the attenuated benefits observed in the experiment, the general public still rewarded credentials and references, so the authors conclude that offering recognized fitness certifications, such as through widely accepted bodies like the National Academy of Sports Medicine, remains a sound investment, consistent with prior research showing vocational credentials improve callback rates and reduce recidivism.

The study has limitations the authors acknowledge. Space constraints prevented them from testing factors such as education level or offense type, some respondents said the profiles did not provide enough information for a real-life decision, and the design did not examine which individual traits predict openness to second chances. Asking respondents to choose for a family member rather than themselves may also have altered the stakes. Still, the central finding is clear: prison stigma pervades the economy, from low-wage labor to the gig economy to entrepreneurship, and consumers penalize trainers with records. Yet the attenuated penalties for online instruction and higher prices suggest that formerly incarcerated fitness entrepreneurs are not shut out entirely. With the right credentials, digital skills, and marketing savvy, the discipline built behind bars could become a marketable asset rather than a mark of exclusion.

Subject of Research: Consumer preferences for personal trainers with criminal records and market opportunities for formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs

Article Title: Moving “The Mark of a Criminal Record”: Consumer Preferences and Market Opportunities for Personal Trainers with Criminal Records

Article References: Shi, L., & Hickert, A. (2026). Moving “The Mark of a Criminal Record”: Consumer Preferences and Market Opportunities for Personal Trainers with Criminal Records. American Journal of Criminal Justice. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-026-09956-6

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s12103-026-09956-6

Keywords: criminal records, prison stigma, personal training, conjoint experiment, reentry, entrepreneurship, vocational credentials, fitness industry, consumer preferences, race and hiring, prison sport, gig economy

The research, conducted by Rebecca Owusu and Kofi Atiah of the University of Cape Coast in Ghana together with Yacouba Kagambega of the Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles in Burkina Faso, addresses two intertwined problems. The first is agricultural: tomato farming in Ghana is plagued by substantial post-harvest losses, meaning that a large share of the crop that farmers work hard to grow never reaches consumers in usable form. The second is nutritional: micronutrient deficiencies remain a persistent public health concern across the country, particularly among populations whose diets lack diversity. Value-added processing of tomatoes into products such as juice, combined with fortification, has been proposed as a strategy that could tackle both problems at once—soaking up surplus harvest that would otherwise spoil while delivering concentrated nutrients to consumers.

Whether such a strategy can work, however, depends entirely on whether consumers accept the product, and that is where the study makes its contribution. The team employed a discrete choice experiment, a well-established method in agricultural and health economics that asks respondents to choose repeatedly between hypothetical product alternatives described by different combinations of attributes. By varying attributes such as the fortification ingredients, the presence of health claims, and whether the product carries certification, and by observing the trade-offs people make, researchers can statistically recover the implicit value that consumers place on each attribute. The approach transforms a subjective preference into a quantifiable economic measure expressed in Ghanaian cedis, the local currency.

The analytical machinery behind the study was correspondingly sophisticated. The authors estimated mixed logit models in what economists call preference space, an approach that allows each consumer’s tastes to differ from the average and thereby captures preference heterogeneity across the sample. They also estimated generalized multinomial logit models in willingness-to-pay space, a formulation that directly models the monetary value respondents attach to attributes and helps account for the scale of the random components in choice behavior. Estimating models in both spaces is a robustness strategy: if the substantive conclusions hold across specifications, researchers can be more confident that the results reflect genuine preferences rather than artifacts of a particular statistical assumption.

The headline result concerns certification. Consumers were willing to pay an additional 0.521 Ghanaian cedis for a certified product, and health claims on the packaging were also positively associated with consumer valuation. In other words, signals of quality assurance and official oversight made the juice more attractive and more valuable in shoppers’ eyes. This is a meaningful premium in a market where price sensitivity is high, and it underscores a broader principle in food economics: in settings where regulatory enforcement may be uneven and food safety concerns are real, third-party certification functions as a costly-to-fake signal of trustworthiness that consumers reward.

The fortification ingredients told a very different story. All three were associated with negative willingness to pay, meaning that adding them to the juice made consumers value it less. Turkey berry powder, soy milk, and powder derived from palm weevil larvae—the edible insect—each detracted from the product’s appeal. The pattern is notable because these ingredients were presumably selected for their nutritional merit; turkey berries are locally known and soy is a recognized protein source, while insect powder represents an emerging frontier in sustainable protein and micronutrient supply. Yet nutritional logic did not translate into market demand. The authors interpret this as evidence that trust-related attributes matter more for consumer acceptance than product formulation involving unfamiliar ingredients. A consumer who cannot judge whether an unusual ingredient is safe, palatable, or appropriate may simply discount the entire product.

This asymmetry between trust signals and ingredient content has practical consequences for anyone hoping to bring fortified foods to market in Ghana or similar contexts. The study suggests that the pathway to consumer acceptance may run through credibility rather than through the nutritional profile alone. A fortified juice carrying recognized certification and a credible health claim starts with a positive valuation that fortification then erodes; the net effect depends on whether the trust premium can outweigh the ingredient penalty. For product developers, the implication is that unfamiliar ingredients may need to be introduced gradually, paired with strong certification, or framed in ways that connect them to familiar food traditions, rather than simply listed on a label and expected to sell on merit.

The research also carries weight for the sustainable development agenda. The authors explicitly situate their work within the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 2 on zero hunger, SDG 8 on decent work and economic growth, and SDG 12 on responsible consumption and production. The logic of the connection is straightforward. If nutrition-sensitive food innovations can convert perishable surplus tomatoes into shelf-stable fortified products, farmers capture value that post-harvest losses currently destroy, food processors create employment, and consumers gain access to improved dietary quality. But the entire chain depends on the final link: a consumer willing to buy. Evidence that consumers penalize certain fortification ingredients is therefore not a rejection of the sustainable food systems vision but a map of where the friction lies.

The study was conducted with formal ethical oversight, receiving approval from the University of Cape Coast Institutional Review Board under approval number UCCIRB/CANS/2025/007, and was carried out in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Respondents were informed of the study’s purpose, the confidentiality of their answers, and their right to withdraw at any time, with informed consent obtained before the questionnaire was administered. The authors report no competing interests and note that the research received no external funding. In an unusual touch, the acknowledgements credit a supervised student agribusiness project on consumer preferences for non-dairy ice cream in the Cape Coast Metropolis as the inspiration for the tomato juice study—a reminder that graduate training projects can seed publishable research agendas.

Published open access on 5 October 2026 after being received in April and accepted in late September of the same year, the article arrives as a citable early-release version carrying a permanent DOI. Its broader message resonates well beyond Ghana’s tomato sector. Around the world, food scientists are developing fortification strategies that incorporate novel and sustainable ingredients, from insect-derived proteins to plant-based powders, in the pursuit of diets that are both nutritious and environmentally sound. The Ghanaian evidence adds a cautionary but constructive data point: consumers are not blank slates who will adopt nutritionally superior products on command. They respond to trust, familiarity, and credible signals, and they punish unfamiliarity with their wallets. Designing sustainable food innovations that succeed in the market, the study implies, requires as much attention to the economics of belief as to the biochemistry of nutrition.

Subject of Research: Consumer willingness to pay for fortified tomato juice in Ghana

Article Title: Consumer willingness to pay for fortified tomato juice in Ghana and its relevance for sustainable food systems

Article References: Owusu, R., Kagambega, Y., & Atiah, K. (2026). Consumer willingness to pay for fortified tomato juice in Ghana and its relevance for sustainable food systems. Discover Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-026-04888-x

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s43621-026-04888-x

Keywords: food fortification, willingness to pay, discrete choice experiment, Ghana, tomato juice, post-harvest losses, sustainable food systems, micronutrient deficiency, edible insects, consumer preferences, SDGs, mixed logit