Abstract
Wine is a fundamental cultural and economic asset for Spain and other European’s countries. Understanding the consumer behavior is of great importance in designing marketing strategies to promote and encourage a product purchase. This research proposes developing and validating an attitudinal scale of the consumer outlook toward wine consumption. A total of 2,189 participants from the Sherry wine region (Andalusia, Spain) participated in the study. A resulting 16-item scale was estimated to meet the reliability criteria and the Principal Component Analysis after exploring the results. Three dimensions were found: one that integrate consumer experiences (Wine Experience), the elements related to the healthy perception of wine consumption (Health Consumption) and those related to factors linked to the social nature of wine consumption (Social Consumption). The Wine Attitude Scale for Consumer Research (WASCR) it has potential use for segmenting different consumer profiles and to be useful tool for wine producers. Therefore, the scale is proposed for use in different research contexts and other populations of interest in future studies.
Plain Language Summary
Wine is a fundamental cultural and economic asset for Spain and other European’s countries. Understanding the consumer behavior is of great importance in designing marketing strategies to promote and encourage a product purchase. Previous research has focused on attitudes toward specific aspects of wine, but not on wine consumption. This research proposes developing and validating an attitudinal scale of the consumer outlook toward wine. A total of 2,189 participants from the Sherry wine region (Andalusia, Spain) participated in the study. A resulting 16-item scale was drafted with three dimensions: one that integrate consumer experiences (Wine Experience), the elements related to the healthy perception of wine consumption (Health Consumption) and those related to factors linked to the social nature of wine consumption (Social Consumption). The Wine Attitude Scale for Consumer Research (WASCR) it has potential use for segmenting different consumer profiles and to be useful tool for wine producers. Therefore, the scale is proposed for use in different research contexts and other populations of interest in future studies.
Introduction
The ranking published by the of the International Organization of Vine and Wine (2022) establishes that European countries such as Portugal (51.9 l), France (46.9 l) and Italy (46 l) lead the world consumption of wine per inhabitant. In Spain, consumption is around 26.2 l, out of a total of 1 billion l consumed per year. It is the third-largest producer of wine in 2021 with a production of 35.3 million hectoliters. Spain stands out because it was the world’s leading wine exporter with 22.9 million hectoliters last year.
Although some authors give the label “wine” to alcoholic beverages derived from other fruits, wine is widely considered an alcoholic drink mainly made from fermented grape juice (Jackson, 2008). In general, wine is a fundamental element in a country’s history and cultural development (Crespi-Vallbona & Mascarilla-Miró, 2020; González-San José et al., 2017). Wine is one of the most important aspects of the lifestyle and way of being in southern Europe (Senkiv et al., 2022; Silva et al., 2014). The consolidation of wine consumption can be explained by the acceptance of moderate consumption, its nutritional value as a health factor, and its cultural and economic value at European level (Covas et al., 2010; Lorenzo et al., 2022). However, many factors are analyzed to determine the consumer’s choice, for example, the specific attributes of the wine, product brand, quality, taste of the wine, price or awards received, among others. (Bruwer et al., 2011; Covas et al., 2010; Cruces-Montes et al., 2020). Some other factors analyzed are the consumer’s characteristics, previous consumption, knowledge of the product and experience through reading or activities related to wine, understanding its consumption as a pleasant experience, and identifying it as an essential part of their life.
Therefore, psychological, emotional and contextual factors influence (Batt & Dean, 2000; Bruwer et al., 2011; Coppin et al., 2021; Cox, 2009), such as the recommendation of consumption by family and friends, consumption in social gatherings (bars and restaurants), its cultural character, and social status in the places of consumption. Consequently, attitudes toward wine related to parental influence, social pressure on consumption, and attitudinal factors (status, sociability, or brand awareness (Pedroza & Herrell, 2022; Pettigrew & Charters, 2006) are all dimensions of interest in understanding consumer behavior.
Furthermore, product knowledge is one of the wine experience components as well as the most important indicator of participation and involvement (Hussain et al., 2007; Oyinseye et al., 2022), which will indirectly affect brand loyalty (Bianchi et al., 2014). In fact, evidence confirms that the context and prior wine knowledge are essential predictors of consumption (Martinez-carrasco et al., 2005; Payini et al., 2022).
Determining the antecedent attitudes of wine consumer behavior is fundamental to understanding wine consumption decisions. However, this task is quite difficult due to the multidimensional nature of these attitudes. It is composed of beliefs, cognitions, experiences, and emotions that reflect the evaluation of stimuli differently, and it represents a complex psychological set (Gómez-Carmona et al., 2021; Spielmann et al., 2016).
Considering this complexity, few propose standardized scales in the general population to measure the attitudes or factors involved in wine consumption choice. Bruwer and Li (2007) proposed the use of the Wine-Related Lifestyle (WRL) scale. This scale is composed of 79 items on activities, interests and opinions, that evaluate five dimensions: (1) Quality/attributes: the origin of the wine and related attributes; (2) Ways to buy it: information search, led by an occasion; experimentation, taking risks, spontaneity; buyer brand security/risk aversion; (3) Wine consumption situations: at home and away from home; (4) Drinking rituals: wine storage/preparation for drinking; (5) Consequences of wine consumption: satisfaction, joy, pleasure, sophistication and image. The scale proposed by Stiehler et al. (2016) is also present in literature, assessing the interest, knowledge, and consumers’ choice in luxury wine brands. There are 20 items in Likert format with scores 1–7 (totally agree-totally disagree). However, these instruments do not study attitudes as specifically, and they focus on certain types of wine, without considering the product’s general nature. Attitudes related to consumption, such as health-related aspects (Stolz & Schmid, 2008) or the social component of wine (Capitello et al., 2019) have previously been studied. Still, there is no consensus on how to assess them.
Therefore, the present work aims to develop and validate a Wine Attitudes Scale for Consumer Research (WASCR). The multifactorial character of general consumer attitudes can help to anticipate tastes, preferences and predict consumer behavior.
Materials and Methods
Sample and Settings
The sample comprised 2,189 participants from the Sherry wine region of Andalusia (Spain). Most (55.1%) were men and 44.9% were women. 690 (31.5%) participants composed the experienced wine consumers, and 1,499 (68.5%) were non-experienced. The mean age of the participants was 29.53 (SD = 12.15).
Participants received an email to participate in the study via email. Eligibility criteria included being fluent in Spanish, being over the legal drinking age in Spain (>18 years), consuming wine at least once a year and agreeing to participate in the study.
Procedure
Drafting of Items Based on the Literature
A methodology structured in three phases was designed to meet the objectives of this research. The first phase began in September 2021 and consisted of a review of previous literature. For this purpose, a search was carried out in the main scientific repositories (Web of Sciences and Scopus) for publications on attitudes related to wine consumption. After excluding publications that were not directly related to consumption, the final search yielded a total of 56 publications. Based on this search, how these attitudes were grouped and how they were assessed were analyzed. Following the previous literature review, 20 items were developed to assess attitudes toward wine. These items were mapped into three intended dimensions based on their content. The researchers named the three dimensions Wine Experience (WE), Health & Consumption (CS) and Social Consumption (CS).
Selection of the Panel of Experts for the Assessment of the Items
The second phase conducted between March and April 2021 consisted of establishing the content validity and appearance of the data by a panel of experts using an individual methodology. The expert panel was composed of seven professionals with at least 10 years of national and international experience in wine and six academic experts in psychology with a consolidated research and professional background, who had participated in previous validation studies. The seven professional experts worked primarily in the fields of wine production, distribution and marketing in wineries and vineyards, while the six academic experts worked in universities and research institutes with wine-related research fields. They were sent an invitation, with a letter of introduction, by e-mail. The letter informed them of the dimensions, the indicators measured by each item and the final objective of the test. It also included instructions for completing the instrument review and evaluating the representativeness, clarity and consistency of each scale item and the measure as a whole. The use of experts made it possible to improve the wording of the questions, introduce changes to refine the questionnaire before data collection, and define the approximate response time. In fact, they recommended eliminating four items, due to the difficulty in understanding them.
Online Survey Design
The third phase consisted of designing an online survey. The questionnaire included a first section to identify interest in the research topic. The second section of the questionnaire grouped the 16 attitudinal items, selected to achieve the proposed objectives and extract the theoretical constructs. The third section included classification questions to analyze the demographic profile of the respondents, as well as questions on relevant variables related to wine tourism activity. Once our measurement tool was ready, sampling began.
Data Collection
Data was collected online using a self-made made questionnaire developed in Google Forms. Once the data collection phase was finished, the Google Sheet created by Google Forms was imported to the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for analysis.
Instrument
Wine Attitude Scale for Consumer Research (WASCR). It is a scale comprising 16 items in which consumer attitudes toward wine are evaluated, using a Likert scale, where 1 is equivalent to Totally disagree; 2 = disagree; 3 = Neither agree nor disagree; 4 = Agree, and 5 is considered Strongly Agree. The scale presents a total index between 16 and 80 points, calculated by adding all the scale scores, and the index in each of the dimension. The WE dimension, which measures consumer’s attitudes toward experience and their knowledge toward wine, is made up of 6 items (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11). Six items also comprise the HC dimension (1, 2, 4, 13, 14, and 16), which measures the attitudes of consumers about the healthy aspect of wine. These two dimensions present a range of scores between 6 and 30 points. However, the last dimension of SC comprises four items (3, 5, 12, and 15), scoring from 4 to 20 points. The scoring method using the summation of item scores by dimensions was suggested by the expert panel and the literature (Choi et al., 2007), as dimensions with a higher number of items would have a higher weight in the attitudinal assessment of consumption and this approach would also facilitate replication in future studies (Hair et al., 2005). In general, a higher number of points in the total scale and dimensions indicate a more positive attitude toward wine.
The 16 WASCR items, in their original Spanish version, are in
An ad hoc questionnaire was designed to assess demographic data (sex, age, and positions in the college) and experience as a wine consumer. It was made through three questions that referred to interest and participation in attending wine tastings, visits to wineries, and visits to vineyards. Experts were those who met the three criteria.
Ethical Considerations
The study was conducted in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki of 2013 (Seventh revision, 64th Meeting, Fortaleza) and the Spanish Organic Law 3/2018, of December 5, Protection of Personal Data and Guarantee of Digital Rights in accordance with the Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 27 April 2016.
Participants were guaranteed confidentiality and anonymity in the information sheet included. They did not receive any reward for participating in the study.
Data Analysis
The Kolmogorov-Smirnov Lilliefors test (Lilliefors, 1967) was employed to verify the normality of the quantitative variables. Demographic data was summarized using descriptive statistics. Items and overall score distributions were evaluated by examining means and standard deviations.
To assess reliability, internal consistency and test-retest reliability were set. Internal consistency was evaluated by determining the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and corrected item-to-total score correlations using Pearson correlation coefficients. Additionally, alpha was estimated when an item was removed from the scale (Netemeyer et al., 2003). To be considered acceptable, the overall internal consistency value should range between .70 and .90 of Cronbach’s alpha, which is regarded as adequate for instruments used in research. Values above 0.90 may suggest redundancies in the scale (De Vellis, 2003).
To examine the presence of floor and ceiling effects, the proportion of respondents with the lowest (one point) or highest possible score (five points) was calculated. Values higher than 20% were considered as a moderate effect, and values higher than 50% were considered as a major effect, respectively.
The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine test-retest reliability over a 2-week interval by correlating the total scale scores from the questionnaire at the initial and subsequent administrations. A threshold of r ≥ .70 (Nunnally, 1994) was established to indicate good test-retest reliability. In addition, inter-rater reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) (Rousson et al., 2002) to confirm the stability of participants.
As for the content validity analysis through expert judgment, the following indices were calculated: I-CVI (Item Content Validity Index) indicates the proportion of experts who qualify the item as valid, where scores of 3 and 4 are considered excellent from 0.78; S-CVI (Scale-level Content Validity Index) where a mean score from 0.80 would be acceptable.
Finally, the FVI (Factorial Validity Index) is calculated to determine the proportion of experts who correctly associate the item with its dimension and the global FVI for the total scale, scores equal to or above 0.80 is considered acceptable.
Construct validity was assessed using both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the known-groups technique. Based on the known-groups technique (Lounsbury et al., 1989), the responses were compared between experienced wine consumers and those who were not. Experienced wine consumers are assumed to have a higher overall attitude score; therefore, the hypothesis was that they would get significantly different scores on the scale than those with no previous wine-consuming experience. To undertake the exploratory factor analysis (EFA), a principal component analysis (PCA) was employed. A varimax rotation was selected to obtain a clearer factorial structure, which minimizes the number of factors required to explain each variable. The rotated factor matrix was examined to identify the items that load on factors. Items with factor loadings > 0.40 were considered to have great practical relevance and define the factors properly (Anastasi, 1976) and were therefore extracted. Prior to factor extraction, factorability was assessed using the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) test and Bartlett’s sphericity test (Polit, 2015).
The results were only considered if the p-values were < .05. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 26.
Results
Overall Scale and Item Score Distribution
The mean overall score of the WASCR in the population sample was 3.537 (SD = 0.67). All items exhibited a wide range of median values from 2.0 to 5.0. The mean for each item is presented in Table 1, along with the floor and ceiling effects. Items 9 and 16 showed a moderate floor effect, and item 9 presented a moderate ceiling effect. Only Item 12 presented a major ceiling effect.
Position on WASCR Items With Score Mean and Standard Deviation and Reliability Results.
Reliability
Internal Consistency
For the scale, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was found to be .895 in the population sample. Table 1 presents the corrected item-total correlation coefficients and the Cronbach’s alpha when an item was deleted. All items showed a moderate correlation with the overall score, ranging from .338 to .675. When removed, only items 5 and 16 increased Cronbach’s alpha.
Inter-Rater Reliability
The ICC for the overall scores reached a value of 0.895 (95% confidence interval [0.889, 0.901]; p = .000) for no interaction effect and ranged from 2.40 to 4.43 for each item. The results obtained indicated that the responses were very stable for both the entire scale and all items.
Test-Retest Reliability
Test-retest reliability with a 2-week interval showed a Pearson correlation coefficient of .861 for WE, .829 for HC and .704 for SC (p < .05), which confirms the stability of the dimensions scores over time.
Validity
Content Validity
The expert panel positively rated the items included for the development of the scale. The scale level indexes content validity for representativeness is 0.83, for clarity 0.93 and 0.87 for coherence. All S-CVIs showed acceptable levels (>0.80). The FVI varied from 0.62 to 1.00 for individual items, with only 4 (items: 2, 4, 9 and 16) being the items in which the experts did not reach an acceptable agreement that associates the item with its dimension (Table 2). However, the overall index is 0.87 and therefore, it is an acceptable total value.
Summary of Content Validity Indices for Representativeness, Coherence and Clarity and Factorial Validity Index for WASCR Items.
Principal Component Analysis
The results of Bartlett’s test of sphericity (X2 = 15828.017; df = 120; p = .000) and the KMO measure of sampling adequacy for the population sample (KMO = 0.91) indicated that the items on the scale shared a common variance suitable for PCA (Abdi & Williams, 2010). The PCA with varimax rotation identified three components with eigenvalues exceeding 1. The first component had an eigenvalue of 4.1, accounting for 25.6% of the variance. The second component had an eigenvalue of 2.85, explaining 17.8% of the variance, and the third component had an eigenvalue of 2.273, accounting for an additional 14.21% of the variance. The items that loaded onto these components were identified by examining the rotated factor matrix. The first component consisted of items 8,7,6,11,9, and 10 (WE); the second component included items 13,16,14,1,12, and 4 (HC), and the third component included items 3,5,12, and 15 (SC) (Table 3). A component was considered well-defined if at least three items presented their highest weights within that factor (Netemeyer et al., 2003).
Rotated Component Matrix of the Factors a .
Note. Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis. Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization.
Rotation converged in four iterations.
Known-Groups Technique
Experienced wine consumers achieved higher overall scores (n1 = 690; _X = 3.83; SD = 0.636) and consequently a higher overall attitude score toward wine than the non-experienced (n2 = 1,499; _X = 3.40; SD = 0.642), as hypothesized.
This difference was highly statistically significant for the overall attitude score (F = 210.53; p = .000) and every component (HC, F = 4.404; p = .000; SC, F = 0.037; p = .000; WE, F = 2.740; p = .000). In addition, experienced wine consumers reached higher mean scores in every single item and this difference was significant for all items (p < .05) except for item 16 (p = .332).
Discussion
The present work proposes developing and validating of a Wine Attitudes Scale for Consumer Research (WASCR) to facilitate the study of the attitudes toward wine consumption.
First, it can be confirmed that the total questionnaire has an adequate level of content validity (S-CVI > 0.80). The judges consider all the items with adequate levels of clarity.
However, two items do not meet the required criteria, either coherence (items 12 and 16) or representativeness (item 16). Items 2, 5, 7 and 14 present I-CVI values of 0.77, and being so close to 0.78, acceptable levels of representativeness and coherence were considered. The judges do not agree on the classification of some items into two of the three proposed dimensions, items 2 and 16 (Wine makes me feel good and Wine quenches your thirst) do not confirm to be related to HC dimension, while items 4 and 9 (Wine is a perfect accompaniment with meals and Wine is a part of my lifestyle) do not relate with WE dimension. Ultimately, the experts considered that items 12 (Wine is a cultural asset) and 16 should be eliminated from the questionnaire version. They also determined that there was no agreement on which dimension items 2, 4, 9, and 16 should be classified with. Despite this data, the final version of the questionnaire was not modified for two reasons. First, because the mean values of the total scale presented adequate levels; and secondly, because this type of decision was considered once the exploratory factor analysis of the questionnaire had already been carried out.
The final questionnaire presents adequate reliability levels, showing a Cronbach’s alpha of .895 for the total scale. However, in the analyses of each item’s the discriminatory capacity, it is observed that items 5 (Wine is a drink to be consumed only at bars and/or restaurants) and 16 do not meet the criteria established in the correlated correlations between the total score and the item using Pearson’s correlation coefficients. Still, there is no concern about this lack of criteria since there is hardly any variation in alpha estimation when these elements are removed from the scale.
Regarding the construct validity using the known-groups technique, it was clearly observed that the scores in this questionnaire are higher in people with wine experience than in those without previous wine knowledge. Therefore, it is determined that people with more wine experience have more positive attitudes toward it, as we expected. Finally, the questionnaire’s internal structure was analyzed using exploratory factor analysis. All the suitability tests to perform the factor analysis, KMO (0.91), Bartlett’s test of sphericity (15,828.017; p = .000), and matrix determinant (0.001) are met. This analysis determines three components, and all of them explain 57.61% of the variance with adequate levels of reliability: WE, 0.903; HC, 0.793 and SC, 0.623 (this dimension has only four items, this can explain the reliability coefficient lower). Therefore, our research shows that the developed questionnaire to know the attitudes of wine consumers has reported three different components: WE, HC, and SC.
Wine Experience (WE)
This research expresses WE through items 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11. Thus, this attitude is evaluated through people’s interest in the product, that is, their interest in learning, reading about wine, carrying out activities related to wine, and having a perception of wine consumption as an essential aspect in their life as a pleasant experience.
Studies show that people who spend the most time searching for more information on wine (Barber, 2009) are women, using magazines and internet resources for wine commercials, sommeliers and winery employees (Atkin et al., 2007). Therefore, they taste more new wines than men (Atkin et al., 2007; Le Bel, 2005), although it can be attributed to a greater sensitivity (L. Thach & Hanni, 2008). Even so, it is confirmed that this more significant experience and greater participation in the field of wine is related to a lesser concern about its price (Aurifeille et al., 2002; Lockshin et al., 2001), to seeking more knowledge about wine (Lockshin & Kahrimanis, 1998), and to spending more money on specific (Lim et al., 1988; Lockshin & Spawton, 2001; Spawton, 1991) and more expensive wines (Thomas & Pickering, 2003).
Some studies also indicate that the level of participation and involvement in wine-related activities have an emotional influence since it increases the degree of satisfaction (Calvo-Porral et al., 2018; Mora & Moscarola, 2010). It has been shown that emotions are activated by consuming certain food products, which also happens with wine (Desmet & Schifferstein, 2008; King et al., 2010). Wine emotionally impacts consumers and their satisfaction (Cardello et al., 2012). In short, the study by Mittal and Lee (Mittal & Lee, 1989) used a scale to determine the level of involvement with wine divided into three dimensions related to the general interest of the consumer, similar to the items assigned to the WE dimension found in this study.
Therefore, the level of involvement is presented as an influencing factor in emotional response and satisfaction, and therefore a “threshold of involvement” must be exceeded. Holbrook and Hirschman (1982) indicate that drinking is a positive and pleasant experience. It can be explained by multisensory elements, including its taste, visual image, tactile impression, and aromas. But the purchase decision is related both to the specific attributes of the wine and the characteristics of the population. These characteristics are knowledge, previous experience with the product, and psychosocial factors (Bruwer et al., 2011; Cox, 2009; Dodd et al., 2005; Hall et al., 2004; Hussain et al., 2007; Neeley et al., 2010). In fact, having a positive attitude toward wine knowledge is associated increased wine consumption (Neeley et al., 2010).
Health Consumption (HC)
We consider it especially relevant that our questionnaire includes an aspect of wine related to health. The analyses in this dimension included items on the healthy consumption of wine, the well-being it generates, its relationship with food, the digestive aspect, and the appetite activator. That is, it is made up of items 1, 2, 4, 13, 14, and 16.
Although there are studies carried out in the United States, which discard the perspective on the health benefits of wine consumption (Greenfield et al., 2002), the main marketing actions of the 1970s focused on the health benefits of moderate wine consumption (Barber et al., 2008). Despite this, it is a motto that has impacted society. The population tends to indicate that wine consumption is healthy, as long as it is moderate in wine and other alcoholic beverages (Mortensen et al., 2001; Obisesan et al., 1998; Theobald et al., 2000). Due to the advertising and beneficial message of alcohol consumption, it is common for older consumers (born around 1945) to have a healthier view of wine (Olsen et al., 2007). However, it is an aspect not considered by millennials (born between 1977 and 1999), who point more toward well-being and the feeling of relaxation produced by their consumption, giving more importance to taste and the context of consumption (Pettigrew & Charters, 2006).
Social Consumption (SC)
This last dimension is made up of a smaller number of items, 3, 5, 12, and 15, which corresponds to an attitude toward wine consumption in social situations such as gatherings; bars, and restaurants; measuring its cultural character and the social status attributed to its consumption.
In previous research, Dubow (1992) pointed out that the context in which we consume wine has a special relevance. Wine can act as a social facilitator (Charters & Pettigrew, 2006), it is a social product linked to society in many contexts. Some of these contexts are closely related to food due to their hedonic capacities (E. C. Thach & Olsen, 2006). Differentially, both men and women (L. Thach, 2012), consider wine as an outstanding social component during special events, meals, and restaurants. While women point out the relevance of wine when it is consumed with friends, men, on the other hand, opt more for consuming wine during business meetings or meals, as well as romantic occasions with their partners. It has been shown that the greatest consumption of wine is done with meals at home; in restaurants; at a barbecue; on a special occasion or celebration; at a party, concert, or sporting event, and therefore highlighting the social dimension of consumption (Dubow, 1992; E. C. Thach & Olsen, 2006). Even the beginnings of wine consumption are also marked by a social dimension, such as the family and influence groups (Olsen et al., 2007).
These three subscales are in line with the Wine-related lifestyle (WRL) questionnaire assessment (Bruwer & Li, 2007). This instrument was used in Australia (Johnson & Bruwer, 2003) and it established styles or consumer segments, classifying as conservatives those consumers who know the world of wine, drinkers oriented toward social consumption, and basic drinkers. Type of classification is more consensual and related to WE and SC scale dimensions, both for attitudes about knowledge and social aspects of wine. These dimensions are also confirmed with the 20-item scale of Stiehler et al. (2016) in which items related to the WE dimension of our scale are observed through the evaluation of interest in wine, knowledge of it, the pleasure of reading about wine, and the joy of buying wine. On the other hand, it also measures aspects related to our SC dimension, through questions about choosing the right wine in a restaurant and whether you spend the money to buy a good wine or not. The WASCR offers practical advantages over other instruments for the attitudinal assessment of wine. The scale focuses on three fundamental aspects directly related to wine consumption and has fewer items, making it easy to administer (Likert, 2017).
Limitations and Future Directions
The resulting scale can be a valuable resource for wine producers and their marketing and advertising departments. As found in the analysis of known-groups technique, the scale can be sensitive to different grades of consumer experience with wine, so it has potential use for segmenting different consumer profiles in future studies. However, concurrent and predictive validity could not be tested in the absence of similar scales oriented toward wine consumption, so the validation study has an exploratory approach that needs to be confirmed by further studies. It is necessary to extend the scale to other regions and apply it to different types of wine consumers to understand its applicability and external validity further. Whether scale scores can also be used to predict frequency of consumption or interest in activities such as wine tourism would also be important to determine the direction of future studies.
Conclusions
The Wine Attitudes Scale for Consumer Research (WASCR), composed of 16 items, satisfactorily meets the reliability and validity requirements for its replication and extrapolation to other contexts. The three resulting dimensions summarize the most relevant aspects related to the knowledge of wine and its consumption. This instrument with a wide explanatory capacity allows for establishing a theoretical relationship between the dimensions it composes.
Additionally, it allows us to obtain results in short time and avoid participant fatigue. Therefore, the WASCR scale is postulated as a tool for consumer studies in many fields such as psychology, marketing, or advertising. Its quick and easy application could encompass market strategies companies and private entities carry out.
Footnotes
Appendix A
A continuación, encontrará algunas afirmaciones sobre el vino. Lea atentamente cada frase e indique el grado de acuerdo o desacuerdo. (1 = Totalmente en desacuerdo; 2 = En desacuerdo; 3 = Ni acuerdo ni desacuerdo; 4 = De acuerdo, 5 = Totalmente de acuerdo).
Wine Attitude Scale for Consumer Research (WASCR)—Spanish Original Version.
Appendix B
You will find some statements about wine below. Read each statement carefully and indicate if you agree or disagree with them (1 = Strongly disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Neither agree nor disagree; 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree).
Wine Attitude Scale for Consumer Research (WASCR)—English Translated Version.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
