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Abstract
A German federal research was established to analyse determinants on school milk
demand. Among those, individual factors, like children’s eating habits, attitudes, preferences
and socio-economic variables were considered but also contextual factors like attitudes and
habits of class teachers and school variables were regarded; and more, price effects on
demand were derived via a price experiment. As girls order significantly less school milk than
boys this paper aims to analysis gender-specific decisions. In the analysis, a database is used
in which individual order information are merged with survey results concerning pupils,
parents, class teachers, school principals and school milk managers of the sampled schools. A
multilevel analysis is applied, because included explanatory variables of gender-specific
school milk orders can be assigned to different groups (individual, class, school, price phase)
in which the independence of variable distributions may be hampered; whereas equations are
established as ordinary logistic function. Estimates for both genders comprise individual
factors affecting positively the school milk orders like e.g., the provision of school milk free
of charge, or when pupils think that `milk tastes good´ and contextual factors such as their
class teachers’ involvement. Gender-specific distinctions cover e.g., the fact that male pupils
have a higher probability to order school milk and react to price incentives. Concerning the
context variables, boys react to teachers and principal attitudes. In contrast, with girls prices
have a very limited impact, but their parents and teachers are regarded as role models. Girls
prefer more choices in product differentiation. These results indicate gender-specific
programs integrating their family and teachers, and a wider range of product choices.