The Q method and subjective perceptions of food in the 1990s

Abstract

Results of a study of people's perception of food are presented in this report. The Q method was used to factor analyse the data from 59 subjects who sorted statements about food. Four types are described and labelled the Gregarious Gourmet, the Virtuous Vegetarian, the Tradition Meat Eater and the Selective Connoisseur. These types account for the main variations in perception of food and each type has a distinctive subjective experience of food. The results have implications for marketing, dietary and nutrition practitioners, and for the sociology of food and eating.