"Most of the general public (64%) have indicated that, when selecting groceries, it is important to them that they were produced in Latvia, while 65% of respondents do this in order to support local producers financially. Despite this, the actions of the Latvian public fall short of their intentions, with only around half [of that number], or 28.6%, attempting to purchase local products as much as possible," according to the latest Maxima Retail Compass industry overview.
The survey on product patriotism also reveals that the wish to support Latvian producers and farmers is due to public perception that local products are fresher, as they “travel less” (46%); trust in the quality of local products and producers’ reputation (42%); as well as the view that local products taste better (31%).
When asked to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on the frequency at which they purchase local products, 12% of those surveyed stated that the pandemic has caused them to buy Latvian products more often. Most respondents (66.5%) admitted that they purchase Latvian products at the same rate as before. Meanwhile, based on their personal support, just under a third (29%) of people, when asked if they do enough to support Latvian producers, answered affirmatively, adding that they try and purchase Latvian products as much as possible.
Meanwhile, 42.5% of those surveyed state that they do not do as much as they would like, and they could buy local products more often.
The research is based upon a survey carried out for Maxima by the SKDS pollster based on responses from 1,005 Latvian residents aged 18 to 75.