From local values to community building: understanding millennial consumers’ motivations in U.S. farmers’ markets

Research on Farmers’ Markets (FMs) has highlighted their economic and health benefits, but value-driven motivations and the community engagement perspective among Millennial Consumers (MCs) remain underexplored. Thus, this study examines how MCs’ internal motivations (e.g., locavorism, health consciousness, consumer effectiveness) and their perceptions of FM influence their attitude change through FM shopping motivation and Psychological Sense of Community (PSOC). An online survey was used to collect data (n = 222), and the proposed relationships were tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Results indicate that intrinsic values (i.e., locavorism, health consciousness, and consumer effectiveness) significantly drive shopping motivations and, in turn, foster a PSOC and positive attitudes. In contrast, FM-specific predictors (i.e., FM attributes, product availability) are not significant. The findings of this study provide insights for academia and practitioners by highlighting the significant role of intrinsic values and community building among MCs at FMs.