Attitude

An attitude describes a set of beliefs or views held about something and is defined in consumer psychology as an enduring inclination or tendency to respond to a brand or product in a specific way.

It consists of three related elements: knowledge, beliefs and associations regarding the object; emotional attachment and a positive or negative evaluation; and behavioural intentions towards the object - purchasing intention, or willingness to become involved. Collecting expressed attitudes (whether by qualitative or quantitative means) has traditionally been a core activity within market research, since attitudes were assumed to be linked with actual behaviour and to be stable over time. Both these assumptions have been increasingly questioned.

Much market research now regards expressed attitudes or opinions as useful indicators, but far from definitive in understanding how a market operates, or in explaining or predicting behaviour.