“‘Organics’ are good, but we don’t know exactly what the term means!” Trust and Knowledge in Organic Consumption

Summary

Trust and knowledge are two concepts that are considered important for understanding consumers’ engagement with organic products, but the concepts are often used at random. This article explores the configuration and generation of consumer trust in organics and investigates the relationship between knowledge and trust. The article is based on a multi-method study of Danish consumers’ perceptions of organics that included a consumer survey, a focus group, and individual interviews. The inquiry documents that Danish consumers’ display a high degree of trust in organics, and have overly positive expectations regarding organics, but know little about the difference between organic and non-organic products. Many respondents express no interest in acquiring additional knowledge, indicating that Danish consumers embody a blind trust of organics, but one that is also fragile because it might easily turn into distrust. Our results indicate that once consumers have decided to trust organics, they tend to seek confirmation of their belief and avoid conflicting knowledge that might challenge their decision. Our findings suggest that the general trust in organics is trumped by personal experiences and pragmatic concerns such as price, taste and appearance.