Factors influencing consumers in purchasing street food in Malaysia

This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the factors influencing street food purchasing among Malaysian consumers and to examine the relationship between these factors and the frequency of street food consumption. In an online self-administered questionnaire, participants were required to rate their agreement on ten influencing factors being studied using a 5-point Likert scale. Results among a total of 1,434 participants revealed significant differences in the factors influencing street food purchasing across consumption frequency groups for time, environment, and nutritional factors, including fat, sugar, and energy content (p < 0.05). Post-hoc analyses indicated that frequent consumers placed greater importance on these factors compared to less frequent consumers. Multinomial logistic regression further identified time and fat content as significant predictors of consumption frequency, where higher importance on time and fat content increased the likelihood of more frequent street food consumption. These findings suggest that time convenience, environmental appeal, and nutritional considerations are key drivers of purchasing behavior among Malaysian street food consumers.