Why Do Consumers Who Prefer Physical Entertainment Behave Digitally? Understanding the Preference-Behavior Gap

Area of Science:

• Consumer Behavior
• Psychology
• Media Studies

Background:

• The gap between stated entertainment preferences and actual consumption behavior is a significant area of research.
• Existing literature suggests factors like time and cost influence this preference-behavior gap, but the precise relationship is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of perceived accessibility constraints in the discrepancy between entertainment preferences and actual consumption.
• To determine why individuals preferring physical entertainment engage more in digital consumption.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of survey data from 608 respondents.
• Construction of composite indices for physical consumption (PCI), digital consumption (DCI), and perceived accessibility constraints (PACI).
• Estimation of logistic regression models to identify determinants of the preference-behavior gap.

Main Results:

• Perceived accessibility constraints significantly impact behavioral inconsistency, but negatively: higher perceived constraints correlate with lower inconsistency.
• Gender differences were significant predictors of the preference-behavior gap.
• Consumption intensity measures did not explain the observed discrepancy.

Conclusions:

• The preference-behavior gap in entertainment is primarily shaped by individuals' perceptions of feasibility, rather than solely by consumption patterns.
• Understanding perceived accessibility is crucial for explaining why stated preferences do not always align with actual entertainment choices.