Do Kenyan Consumers Crave Change? Combining Q-methodology and a Choice Experiment to Explore Sustainable Food Preferences

Understanding consumer preferences in data-scarce contexts poses significant challenges. Stated-preference methods such as choice experiments (CEs) are widely used but often struggle to identify attributes that are both empirically valid and contextually meaningful. A key limitation lies in selecting attributes that reflect respondents’ values rather than researchers’ assumptions. To address this, this article introduces a methodological innovation that combines Q-methodology (Q) and a CE to enhance both the design and interpretation of preference studies within sustainability research. Within this study, Q identified how individuals perceive and prioritise sustainability-related characteristics, while the CE quantified the trade-offs consumers make among these characteristics. The approach is illustrated through a case study of Kenyan consumers’ preferences for sustainably produced food – a context characterised by rapid population growth, high climate vulnerability, and shifting dietary patterns. Drawing on survey data from 559 consumers, the Q-CE combination demonstrates how qualitative insights into locally grounded understandings of sustainability can be systematically translated into quantifiable CE attributes and used to deepen the interpretation of CE outcomes. This combination ensures that the CE reflects contextually valid, stakeholder-informed dimensions of sustainability, while Q results provide a complementary interpretive lens that explains underlying motivations and value framings behind consumer preferences. By linking qualitative perceptions with quantitative measures, the combined approach reduces researcher bias, strengthens contextual validity, and deepens interpretive insight. The study offers a transparent and replicable procedure for designing Q-informed CEs, and provides actionable implications for promoting sustainable consumption through targeted incentives, reduced food loss, and consumer awareness initiatives.