Food consumption behaviour patterns of Chinese students registered at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and the University of the Western Cape

Abstract

Chinese students study in South Africa on account of the English environment and cheaper tuition fees. Owing to the increased Chinese student population in South Africa, a potential Chinese food market is being mooted, and it is therefore necessary to undertake research to define this potential market opportunity in order to provide information to entrepreneurs who are interested in establishing a business in the Chinese food market in the Cape Metropolis. Chinese students who are studying at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) and the University of the Western Cape (UWC) will be the focus of the research. The main purpose of this study was to analyze the food consumption behaviour of these students and their attitudes towards Chinese and South African foods. A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect information on the demographic characteristics of Chinese students, their current food consumption habits and attitudes towards Chinese and South African food. The data collection and analysis was computed by means of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences methodology. The results reflected that students generally prefer not to eat at home and that they eat both Chinese and South African food alternately. Furthermore, the attitudes towards of the respondents towards Chinese and South African foods are influenced by factors such as freshness, convenience and availability.