Analysing Determinants of Household Broiler Chicken Meat Purchases amidst Social-Media Misinformation: A Tobit Study

Indian poultry sector is a significant contributor to GDP. It is growing at 8-10% annually, reaching $22.97 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach $41.94 billion (10.18% CAGR) between 2023 and 2028. Misinformation on social media negatively impacted the broiler sector, driving down prices and consumption. Objective: Using Tobit model, broiler purchases by Indian households during misinformation were analyzed. Methodology: Data on demographics, socioeconomics and monthly chicken meat consumption were collected and analyzed from n503 respondents. Results: On average, males preferred broiler chicken, while females preferred native chicken. The potential impact of social media misinformation on women’s choices and the influence on households with older people, who consumed significantly less compared to their counterparts, remains intriguing. Unexpectedly, households with better income and higher education purchased less broiler meat. Marital status, place of residence, cohabitation, and presence of children did not significantly affect the outcome. Muslim families purchased more broiler meat, and larger households consumed more. Frequency of consumption was important, with daily and alternate customers making larger purchases. Broiler meat purchases were negatively impacted by country chicken consumption. Amid social media misinformation, while a slight adverse impact on household broiler consumption may have occurred, it is notable that a significant portion of households (97.20%) continued to purchase chicken meat. broiler chicken, demonstrating the potential effectiveness of media-driven interventions in mitigating the impact of misinformation and reiterated the persistent preference for broiler chicken as a dietary protein option within the broader consumer demographic. Conclusions: The Indian poultry industry is vital for food security and economic growth, so it is imperative to address social media-induced panic. Transparency, trust and accurate transmission of information are essential. To successfully address market challenges, stakeholders need to consider factors such as demographics and dietary preferences that influence consumer behavior.