This study enriches the current state of knowledge presented in the literature review by investigating how the propensity to waste food is influenced by people's views on food waste, frequency of food purchases, and individual habits related to environmentally sustainable household practices. Binary logistic regression modelling in hierarchical form was developed from 672 completed questionnaires representing the population of the Czech Republic aged 15 and over. The research shows that the propensity to waste food is higher among individuals who are aware of their food waste and concerned about its cost, which can be explained by cognitive dissonance. The phenomenon of forgetting to consume food before it spoils is identified as an important economic reason for food waste, attributed to time inconsistency and imperfect information processing. The frequency of food purchases is found to have a nonlinear relationship with food waste, suggesting an optimal purchase frequency at which individuals can effectively manage their food stocks. Individuals who frequently bring their own bags to the supermarket and regularly sort their waste have lower levels of food waste, driven by pro-environmental behaviour, mindfulness, and adherence to social norms. The study provides practical insights such as educating the public about the environmental impact of food waste, tailoring communication strategies to address cognitive dissonance, developing community programmes that emphasise the social and moral aspects of reducing food waste and fostering a collective sense of responsibility, and implementing economic incentives or penalties to align economic behaviours with environmental and moral values regarding food waste.
Jindřich Špička (2025) studied this question.