What drives consumer expectations for institutional food? Identifying antecedents of normative and predictive expectations in baby boomers

Consumer expectations play a crucial role in shaping consumer experiences, and it is important to understand what factors contribute to these expectations. However, there is limited research on the factors that influence expectations, particularly internal factors. Additionally, few studies differentiate between types of expectations and their underlying causes. This study focuses on normative and predictive expectations related to institutional food and examines how individual psychological factors (such as entitlement, subjective knowledge, and sensitivity to disconfirmation) and sociocultural factors (like word of mouth and temporal focus) influence these expectations. The researchers used surveys to collect data from two different groups of baby boomers in Norway, with a total of 300 participants in each group. The findings reveal that normative and predictive expectations for institutional food differ in their content, and individual psychological and sociocultural factors affect different types of expectations. Individual psychological factors have a stronger influence on normative expectations, whereas sociocultural factors primarily impact predictive expectations. Further research should explore the relationship between the content of expectations and their drivers in other contexts. This study contributes to our understanding of the factors that shape consumer expectations, particularly in non-hedonic consumption experiences.