CONSUMER KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES OF KENYAN (AFRICA) COLLEGE STUDENTS

The study was designed to measure the consumer knowledge and attitudes of college students enrolled at a representative Kenyan college. It was hypothesized that six variables (sex, academic level in college, academic major, rural or urban upbringing, having work experience and having completed a course in consumer education) would not be associated with achievement on the 47‐item test or with the seven consumer attitude questions. The instrument was developed by the researcher for use in Kenya. Validity was checked by Kenyans as well as experts from the U.S. in test construction. Following a pre‐test in Kenya, during the first week of classes in 1980, all students (n = 508) completed the instrument. Analysis of variance and chi‐square tests were used to analyse the data. Achievement was 31.3 (67.9%) on the consumer education test which was considered a moderate score. Having completed a consumer education course was one variable associated with higher scores on the test. Students majoring in Dairy and Food Science Technology as well as Home Economics did better than other majors on the test. In general, the students strongly supported attitudes expected of rational and responsible consumers.