The COVID-19 pandemic and especially the lockdowns coming with it have been a disruptive event also for food consumption. In order to study the impact of the pandemic on eating habits, self-reported changes in food-related behaviours were investigated in ten European countries by means of an online survey. A latent class cluster analysis distinguished five clusters and showed that different types of consumers can be distinguished based on how they react to the pandemic as regards their eating habits. While food-related behaviours were resilient for 60% of the sample, another 35% reported more enjoyment in cooking and eating, more time in the kitchen and more family meals. Among those, a slight majority also showed signs of more mindful eating, as indicated by more deliberate choices and increased consumption of healthy food, whereas a slight minority reported more consumption of indulgence food. Only 5% indicated less involvement with food. As the COVID-19 pandemic is a disruptive event, some of these changes may have habit-breaking properties and open up new opportunities and challenges for food policy and food industry.

Background: The research focused on the relationships between attitudes towards vaccination and the trust placed in different sources of information (science, experts and the information available on the Internet) before and during COVID-19. Method: A longitudinal design was applied with the first measurement in February 2018 (N = 1039). The second measurement (N = 400) was carried out in December 2020 to test if the pandemic influenced the trust in different sources of information. Results: The final analyses carried out on final sample of 400 participants showed that there has been no change in trust in the Internet as a source of knowledge about health during the pandemic. However, the trust in science, physicians, subjective health knowledge, as well as the attitude towards the vaccination has declined. Regression analysis also showed that changes in the level of trust in physicians and science were associated with analogous (in the same direction) changes in attitudes toward vaccination. The study was also focused on the trust in different sources of health knowledge as possible predictors of willingness to be vaccinated against SARS-nCoV-2. However, it appeared that the selected predictors explained a small part of the variance. This suggests that attitudes toward the new COVID vaccines may have different sources than attitudes toward vaccines that have been known to the public for a long time.

The climate crisis has added circularity and sustainability arguments to those of competition and the consumer-friendly justification of limitations to design and trade mark rights. The increasingly widespread “right to repair” has changed consumer knowledge and understanding. This article presents the results of experimental studies on the perception of trade marks used in the commercialisation of spare parts and the impact thereof on how a product’s origin and quality are perceived. Against this background, there is a discussion of the recent referral by a Polish court, in case C-334/22, Audi, concerning the problem of spare parts that reproduce a trade mark as an element of the appearance of the part.

Energy efficiency is an increasingly important dimension of household appliances, which is why they are labeled to indicate their energy consumption. In 2020, the European Union countries changed the labeling system from the previous system: ranging from A+++ to D, to the new system: ranging from A to G, assuming it would be more transparent for the consumer. The aim of the study was to find out the extent to which consumers are aware of the new labeling system, and the impact that the new labels have (compared to the previous ones) on the perception of household appliances and consumer decision-making. For this purpose, the survey was conducted on a nationwide representative Polish sample (n = 1054). The research was partly experimental, where the same appliances were presented with new and previous energy labels. The results showed that currently most people do not identify the new energy classes. Furthermore, products with the new labels are perceived as being less energy efficient in comparison with products with the previous labels, which shows that there is some confusion among consumers in terms of the new energy efficiency labeling system.

Previous research has shown that self-presentation could be a relevant motive in explaining variety-seeking behavior. Individuals anticipate that sticking to a limited range of one’s favorites would make a negative impression on others, and others might conclude that they are boring or narrow-minded (Ariely and Levav Journal of Consumer Research, 27, 279–290, 2000; Ratner and Kahn The Journal of Consumer Research, 29, 246–257, 2002). In our research, we wanted to investigate this lay assumption. We also hypothesized the moderating role of a consumer’s gender. The results of study 1 (N = 211) confirmed that incorporating variety in consumer behavior may be a cue for social perception. Consumers who preferred non-variety in consumer choices were evaluated as less socially attractive than those who preferred variety. However, female consumers who preferred variety were evaluated as less responsible. These results were replicated in study 2 (N = 276). The study also revealed the mediational role of the evaluation of a consumer’s predictability in the relationship between her variety seeking and social attractiveness. Study 2 also showed the moderating role of participant gender in the evaluation of a consumer’s responsibility. The female consumer who incorporated variety in her consumer choices was evaluated as less responsible, but only when she was described as a mother and wife and only by female participants.

AIMS: The aim of the study was to investigate the relation between declared intention to get/not get vaccinated against COVID-19, prior to the start of the global vaccination program, and actual vaccine uptake. Moreover, reasons for getting vaccinated or rejecting it were measured along with declared intent and behavior. METHODS: Within a longitudinal design, a representative sample of 918 Polish people was surveyed in February 2021 and August 2021. In February 2021, participants were asked about their intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and the reasons behind it. In August 2021, the same group was asked about having been vaccinated, along with the reasons. RESULTS: A significant pro-vaccine shift from declared intent to behavior was observed, with many participants turning away from being anti-vaccine or undecided and getting vaccinated. Significant correlations with attitudes toward general mandatory vaccination of children were found. Increased support for anti-vaccine arguments was seen over time in the unvaccinated sample, and decreased support for pro-vaccine arguments was seen in the vaccinated sample. Several key arguments for and against vaccination were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Declared attitude toward COVID-19 vaccination is not fully consistent with vaccination behavior. Pro-vaccine changes in attitudes of previously anti-vaccine and undecided individuals indicate that these groups may be influenced to potentially accept the COVID-19 vaccination over time.