Socioeconomic profile and game theory in potential consumers of functional cheeses with bean flour

Objective: Analyze the influence of consumer preferences and socioeconomic profile on the adoption of functional bean flour cheese.Design/methodology/approach: The study was carried out in Zacatecas, Mexico, a questionnaire was applied to consumers stratified by age. With a Kruskal-Wallis test, significant variables were detected and with a post hoc test, three socioeconomic profiles were identified, besides correlations were also evaluated using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Subsequently, game theory was used to evaluate strategic choices in different scenarios: Willingness to buy a functional food, health awareness, and adoption motives.Results: Relationships between socioeconomic variables and consumer preferences were identified, including income, gender, age, educational level, price of a cheese, consumption expenses, etiquette, and frequency of consumption. Taken together, game theory revealed distinct purchas-ing patterns: "Strong Consumers", "Conscious Consumers" and "Cautious Consumers".Limitations on study/implications: Research is limited to a specific geographic region, so caution is asks when generalizing results. Key implications include market segmentation, functional food design, differentiated strategies, and consumer education.Findings/conclusions: The importance of taking socioeconomic variables into account when analyzing consumption patterns and purchasing options in functional foods is emphasized. The methodology used can serve as a basis for future research in various settings or focusing on different food products.