Research on the Influencing Factors of Consumer Seafood Consumption Willingness in the Bohai Rim Area Based on Random Forest and Structural Equation Model

Abstract

With the increasing prominence of environmental issues, the impact of nuclear pollution events on the marine ecological environment has attracted widespread concern. This study aims to explore the influencing factors of consumers' willingness to consume seafood in the Bohai Rim area when facing nuclear pollution events. By combining the use of random forest and structural equation modeling (SEM), this research conducted an in-depth analysis of the collected survey data. Initially, the random forest model was applied to rank the importance of satisfaction scale indicators, factor analysis was used to reduce the scale indicators to obtain factors affecting consumer satisfaction, and finally, the SEM model was employed to study the impact of various factors and indicators on consumer satisfaction, identifying the key factors affecting the willingness to consume prepared dishes. The study results show that consumers pay high attention to the origin, quality, and nutritional value of seafood, and these factors are proven to have a significant impact on consumption willingness through the measurement model. The structural model analysis reveals the importance of business services and product features in enhancing consumers' willingness to purchase. Additionally, the model fit indices indicate that the proposed model structure fits the actual data well. This study provides targeted marketing strategy recommendations for seafood suppliers to adapt to changes in consumer behavior under environmental changes.