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Abstract: Although the Halal concept has not been a major element among non-Muslim consumers living
in an Islamic country, whether the non-Muslim consumers are aware of the underlying advantages that come
with Halal food products or their viewpoints arising from their religious belief, are some intriguing questions
that need to be answered. Thus the objective of the study explore the underlying determinants that are likely
to influence non-Muslim consumers perceptions and attitudes towards Halal concept and Halal food products
in Malaysia in lieu of new paradigm in emerging global issues on sustainability, environmental, food safety
and animal welfare. A survey was conducted in the Klang Valley where 400 non-Muslim respondents were
interviewed via structured questionnaires to gather information on their awareness and attitude towards Halal
food products in the Malaysian food market. Descriptive statistic was used to identify the socio-economic/
demographic characteristics and attitudes of the respondents toward the Halal food principles. The logit model
was used to determine the extent to which selected socio-economic/demographic characteristics influenced
the respondents attitude and understanding on Halal principles and Halal food products. The results of this
study suggest that non-Muslim consumers are aware of the existence of Halal food, Halal principles and the
advantages of Halal way in slaughtering the animals. This can be shown by their significant awareness that
Halal is not only the way Muslim slaughter their animals but also relates to environmental, sustainability,
animal welfare and food safety. In general, various socio-economic/demographic factors such as education
level, older generation, those who are more religious and the urban dweller seem to more likely to be aware of
the advantages of Halal principles.
Keywords: Halal food, demographic characteristics, Halal principles, non-muslim, Logit model
Introduction
Halal, which means permissible or allowed
in Arabic, is essentially a way of life and is not solely
confined to the types of food that a Muslim is allowed
to consume, though food is a vital component for the
sustenance needed to lead a meaningful life. The
bottom line is that Halal food is not just about what
the food is but how it is prepared. The Halal concept
emphasizes safety, hygiene and wholesomeness
of food. It also provides an excellent platform for
healthy eating. Consideration of the place and
process of the animals being slaughtered and most
importantly, the condition of these animals would
not endanger the health of diners, are a prime focus
of what Halal is all about. Today, Halal is no longer
a mere religious obligation or observance, but is
considered as the standard of choice for Muslims as
well as non-Muslims worldwide. The Halal concept
*Corresponding author.
Email: zam@agri.upm.edu.my
Tel: +603 8946 4141 ; Fax: +603 8946 4142
668
Golnaz, R., Zainalabidin, M., Mad Nasir, S. and Eddie Chiew, F.C.
669
Where;
is called log-odd ratio. The Log-odd
ratio is the logarithm of the odds that a particular
choice will be made by the representative consumers.
Pi is the probability of proxy variable Yi = 1 and (1 Pi) is the probability of Yi = 0 and
is the error term.
The signs of parameter estimates and their statistical
significance indicate the direction of the response
associated with the presence or level of a particular
variable. The changes in the probabilities associated
to the intermediate categories (1 to j1) cannot be
signed a priori. Thus, category-specific marginal
effects are often reported (Gujarati, 1988). Table 1
shows the definition of the categorical explanatory
variables used in the logit model.
670
Golnaz, R., Zainalabidin, M., Mad Nasir, S. and Eddie Chiew, F.C.
Behavioral Intention of
purchasing Halal food
products
Perceived behavioral
control ( e.g. Food Safety,
Environmentally Friendly,
Animal Welfare and Fair
trade)
External Factors
e.g. Age and Education
Age
Figure 1. Conceptual framework of theory of planned behavior with application to Halal food consumption
among non-Muslims in Malaysia. Source: Adapted model from Ajzen (2002)
Residential Area
Rural/Suburban
Urban
Gender
Female
Male
Age
Above 40
Below 40
Education Level
0. Up to secondary school
1. Tertiary
Occupation
Food Safety
Environmentally Friendly
Animal Welfare
Fair Trade
Marital Status
Not Married
Married
Results
Descriptive analysis
Table 2 shows the characteristics of the sample
with regard to their demographic background. About
two-thirds of the respondents are from urban, and
one-third are from suburban. More than 50% of the
respondents are female. Among the respondents,
more than half of the respondents are Chinese
(52.0%) followed by Indians at 41.0% and others at
7.0%. For religion, the compositions are as follows:
Christians (31.5%), Buddhists (39.5%) and Hindus
(29.0%). Most of the respondents are married (63.5%)
as compared to single (36.5%). The majority of
respondents interviewed are between 26- 40 years of
age (54.0%) and most of them (75.5%) are educated
at tertiary level. The occupations of the respondents
were categorized into five levels. The majority of the
respondents have working experiences in various
positions such as working for government sector
8.0%, private sector 70.0%, self-employed 10.5%.
The remainders are students 6.0% and the others
(5.5%) which include retirees, unemployed and
housewife groups. In terms of income distribution,
the study found that at least 46.0% of the respondents
have incomes between RM 1501-3000 per month.
While about 15.5% of respondents earn less than RM
1500 and below, a smaller percentage of respondents
(8.5%) have monthly incomes above RM 6000.
Logit regression analysis
The Logit regression analysis was used to
estimate the extent to which selected socio-economic/
demographic characteristics and attitudes influenced
the respondents awareness on Halal food products
principle. Table 3 shows the estimated logit model
for non-Muslim consumers awareness on Halal
principle food products. Five of the variables were
positive and statistically significant, suggesting that
response categories are indeed ordered properly.
Thus, the socio-economic/demographic factors and
consumers attitudes variables in the ordered model
equation are relevant in explaining consumers
awareness and attitudes on Halal principle and Halal
food products. The results indicated that, the socioeconomic variables play an important role when
explaining the consumers attitude and awareness
toward Halal food products.
Based on the statistically significant coefficients,
religious belief or religiosity is an important
determinant for consumer attitude, and the effect
is positive (Table 3). Concern about food safety
positively influences the probability of consumers
attitude on Halal food products by 1.41 more. The
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672
Golnaz, R., Zainalabidin, M., Mad Nasir, S. and Eddie Chiew, F.C.
Number
Percentage
Residential area
Urban
Suburban
282
118
70.5
29.5
Gender
Female
Male
206
194
51.5
48.5
Religion
Christian
Buddhist
Hindu
126
158
116
31.5
39.5
29.0
Ethnic
Chinese
Indians
Others
208
164
28
52.0
41.0
7.0
Education level
Never been to school
Primary school
Secondary school
Tertiary
6
10
82
302
1.5
2.5
20.5
75.5
Marital status
Single
Married
146
254
36.5
63.5
Occupation
Government service
Privet sector
Self-employed
Unemployment
Student
Others
32
280
42
6
24
16
8.0
70.0
10.5
1.5
6.0
4.0
Age
Below 25
26-40
41-60
Above 60
44
216
136
2
11.0
54.0
34.0
1.0
Income
Below RM1500
RM1501-RM3000
RM3001-RM4500
RM4501-RM6000
Above 6000
62
184
78
42
34
15.5
46.0
19.5
10.5
8.5
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Table 3. Estimated logit model for non-Muslim consumers awareness and halal food
Variables
Estimated Coefficients
Standard Error
C
Religious Belief
Food Safety
Animal Welfare
Fair Trade
Environmentally Friendly
Age
Education level
Gender
Area (Urban and Rural)
Marital Status
Occupation
McFadden R-squared
-1.390340
0.661114
0.343800
-0.630527
0.037437
0.462645
-0.996635
0.599553
0.023121
0.756512
-0.265080
0.447580
0.265406
0.500352
2.073119
0.147818
0.175864
0.250050
0.183785
0.202236
0.444055
0.191878
0.336011
0.361608
0.213624
0.309007
Log likelihood
Restr. log
likelihood
Avg. log likelihood
Probability
0.0004
Ratio
P-value
0.248
0.5024
1.937
0.0000***
1.410
0.0506*
1.879
0.0296**
1.038
0.8386
1.588
0.0222**
2.709
0.0248**
1.821
0.0283**
1.023
0.9451
2.130
0.0364**
0.767
0.2147
1.564
0.1475
-115.3987
-138.2692
-0.576993
***Statistically significant at the 0.01-level, **at the 0.05 level, and *at the 0.10 level.
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Golnaz, R., Zainalabidin, M., Mad Nasir, S. and Eddie Chiew, F.C.
References
Ajzen, I. 1989. Attitude and structure and behavior.
In Attitude Structure Function, A.R. Pratkanis,
S.J.Breckler and A.G.Greenward (Eds), pp 241-275.
Hilladale, New-Jersey. Erbaum.
Ajzen, I. 2002. Perceived Behavioral Control, SelfEfficacy, Locus of Control, and the Theory of Planned
Behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology 32:
665-683.