Consumer Behavior of Rural Residents Regarding the Choice of Food Purchase Places: The Case of Poland

Purpose: The purpose of the article was to assess the consumer behavior of rural residents regarding the choice of food purchase places and the possibility of self-producing food. Design/Methodology/Approach: The conducted analysis was based on own research with the use of a questionnaire among 302 rural households in Poland. To determine whether there is a correlation between the types of rural households and the frequency of food purchases, the Kruskal–Wallis test by ranks and the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient were used. Findings: Research has shown a large variation between the forms of satisfying food needs by the inhabitants of rural areas, some of them try to produce food themselves as part of their households, or supplement it with purchases mainly from local producers. Inhabitants of villages not related to agriculture most often shop in large-format stores. Practical Implications: The assessment of consumer behavior of rural residents should be extended to research on consumer awareness of the quality of consumed food, the benefits of purchasing from local producers. Originality/value: In the case of Poland, there is a lack of research and knowledge about the preferences of rural residents regarding places to buy food and information on whether they, as rural residents, undertake food production as part of their household.