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PERCEPTION OF PLANT FRUITS AND FACTORS INFLUENCING THE WILLINGNESS TO CONSUME THEM

Aims
The aim of the research was to determine the knowledge, level of attractiveness and willingness to eat selected fruits. An additional aim was to identify the influence of selected factors on the three aforementioned variables, such as: gender, place of residence, grade of school attended, preference for outdoor activities, affinity for adventure, relationship with ecology, satisfaction with life and subjective perception of happiness.

Methods
The research was designed as quantitative. The target group was people attending primary, high schools and universities. Data collection was carried out in the form of an online questionnaire and all data used were anonymous. The "snowball" method was used to obtain the research sample. The research tool consisted of demographic items and also for other questionnaires connected with additional items. The questionnaires included Likert type items. Another part of the research tool was focused on knowledge, level of attractiveness and willingness to consume individual fruits. This part contained 15 plant fruits. Poisonous and edible plants were represented in a ratio of 8:7. We tried to choose exotic fruits, which, however, can normally be found in shops in the Czech Republic, but also fruits that are atypical for the range of our supermarkets. Due to aims and determine the influence of selected factors, the data were subjected to descriptive statistics as well as inductive statistics. Specifically, analysis of variance (F) and Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) were used. Within the analysis of variance, fruit attractiveness, fruit consumption willingness and fruit naming were determined as dependent variables. Gender, place of residence and school grade attended were determined as independent variables.

Results
The respondents had difficulties with the correct identification of fruits. The only fruit with an identification success rate greater than 50% was pittahaya. On the contrary, some fruits that are relatively common in the wild and are poisonous were incorrectly identified or the respondents did not know what kind of plant it was. For example, it is possible to cite the fruit of a lily of the valley. The effect of selected factors on the aforementioned variables was inconsistent. For example, the difference between boys and girls was shown to be significant in the cognitive domain, where it was about naming the presented fruits. Girls scored higher in comparison with boys. The age of the respondents also had a significant impact on all variables. Knowledge increased with age, so older respondents were able to identify plant fruits more reliably. The attractiveness of the fruits presented was also at a higher level. An interesting finding is the conative dimension. Older respondents were willing to consume fruits to a greater extent compared to younger ones. Willingness to consume fruits was more typical for respondents from an urban environment than for respondents from a rural environment.

Keywords: attractiveness, quantitative approach, willingness to consume, knowledge, plant fruits