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THE EFFECT OF HALAL FOODS AWARENESS ON PURCHASE DECISION WITH

RELIGIOSITY AS A MODERATING VARIABLE: A STUDY AT HIGHER
EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

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THE EFFECT OF HALAL FOODS AWARENESS ON PURCHASE DECISION WITH
RELIGIOSITY AS A MODERATING VARIABLE: A STUDY AT HIGHER
EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

Muslichah binti Mohammad Machali

Hajah Rose binti Abdullah
Ahmad Lutfi bin Abdul Razak

Faculty of Business and Management Sciences

Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University
Negara Brunei Darussalam

Abstract
Halal foods are a serious and sensitive matter for every Muslim. In Brunei,
halal food markets are expanding in parallel with the increasing Muslim
population. The main aim of this study is to examine the moderating effect of
religiosity on the relationship between awareness and purchase decison of halal
foods. One hundred twenty one (121) students studying in higher education
institutions participated in this study. Using a moderated regression analysis
(MRA) this study found that among the sample: (1) the level of awareness
toward halal foods is high; (2) the effect of awareness on purchase decision is
positive and significant; (3) religiosity acts as a moderating variable on the
relationship between awareness and purchase decision. This study contributes
not only to the research literature but also to government, food manufacturers
and marketers to develop strategies related to halal foods.

Keywords: awareness, purchase decision, halal foods, religiosity.

1 INTRODUCTION
Islam is a religion that guides Muslims in every aspect of life. One aspect of guidance which
has been provided by Islam is what can be consumed. Eating and drinking are strictly followed
according to the set of dietary laws which are outlined in Al-Qur’an. In this law, Muslim must
consume halal foods and avoid haram foods. This means that in Islam the concept of halal is
an absolute key to consumption. Muslims are required to consume only halal foods. Muslim
consumers eat halal meat in order to follow and express their religious teachings (Bonne and
Verbeke, 2006). These religious commitments and beliefs influence the feelings and attitude of
people towards consumption (Jamal, 2003). Religious obligations and beliefs direct peoples’
attitude and feeling towards a range of products, such as food, financial, cosmetics and
pharmaceutical products (Esso and Dibb, 2004; Mullen et al., 2000).
In recent years, research interest in the area of awareness towards halal foods has grown
considerably (Salman and Siddiqui, 2011; Nor Ardyanti et al., 2013; Ambali and Bakar, 2013).
Salman and Siddiqui (2011) examine the awareness and perception of halal food in Pakistan.
Their study found that people who are highly religious may not necessarily have high level of
awareness about halal food. This result is consistent with the findings of a study done by Nor
Adyanti et al. (2013) which suggested that Muslim customers are likely to choose a food outlet
based on price and taste instead of halal logo and certification. A similar study was done by
Ambali and Bakar (2013) which addresses the determinants of Muslim consumers’ awareness
of halal products or foods in the city of Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. This study found that

1
religious belief, halal exposure, halal logo, and health reasons are the determinants of Muslims’
awareness about halal consumptions.
Besides the awareness toward halal foods, there is a considerable body of literature
which focused on various aspects of consumer behavior towards halal foods (Soesilowati,
2010; Alam and Sayuti, 2011; Bonne et al., 2007; Mukhtar and Butt, 2011). Soesilowati (2010)
analyse Muslim consumer behaviour in regard to halal food. She found that Muslim respondents
consistently put a high priority on the halal issue when they purchase food, buy meat, or select
a restaurant. Alam and Sayuti (2011) used Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) with the
aim to examine halal food purchasing behavior. The study found that attitude, subjective norm
and perceived behavioral control have positive and significant influence on halal food
purchasing intention. Mukhtar and Butt (2011) used the theory of reasoned action model (TRA)
to investigate Muslim attitude towards halal products and their intention to choose such
products. The results indicated that theory of reasoned action (TRA) is a valid model in
predicting intention to choose halal products. The results further indicate that subjective norms,
attitude towards the halal products and intra personal religiosity positively influence attitude
towards the halal products.
The investigation of Muslim attitude towards halal products is important in Islamic
societies such as Brunei Darussalam, where it is generally assumed that products sold in the
markets are considered halal to be consumed. The current study differs from prior studies in
two significant areas. Firstly, the effect of awareness on purchase decison has been investigated
by the previous researchers, however there is no research that incorporate the role of religiosity
in the relationship between awareness and purchase decision. To the authors’ knowledge, this
study is the first attempt to relate awareness and purchase decision with religiosity. This study
suggests that religiosity can strengthen and weaken the relationship between awareness and
purchase decision. It is claimed in some of the literature that religion is the key cultural element
that determines behavior and decisions to buy (Babakus, 2004; Cornwell et al., 2005).
Secondly, the measurement of religiosity is novel, and has never been studied in the Brunei
context. A significant methological contribution of this research is the development of a set of
scales for measuring religiosity.
Based on the above-mentioned research motivation, this research has three major
objectives. The first objective of this study is to investigate the level of Muslim students’
awareness towards halal foods in Brunei Darussalam. The second objective is to analyze the
influence of Muslim students’ awareness on purchase decision. The third objective is to analyze
whether religiosity acts as a moderating variable on the relationship between awareness and
purchase decision.

2 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Halal Foods
Islamic laws govern what is lawful for a Muslim (halal) and what is forbidden (haram). It is
stated in Al-Qur’an (Surah Al-A’raf 7:157):

“[Allah] allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what
is bad (and impure)” 1

The food consumed by Muslims are lawful or permitted, unless the food is categorized in Al-
Qur’an and Hadith as haram or forbidden. The word halal means permissible or lawful
according to Islamic laws. According to Rehman and Shabbir (2010), halal products are those

1
Translation by ‘Abdullah Yusuf Ali.

2
that are Shariah compliant, i.e. do not involve: the use of haram (prohibited) ingredients,
exploitation of labor or environment, and are not harmful or intended for harmful use.

This has been clearly stated in Al-Qur’an (in surah Al-Baqarah 2:172-173):
“O ye who believe! Eat of the good things that We have provided for you, and be grateful
to Allah, if it is Him ye worship. He hath only forbidden you dead meat, and blood, and
the flesh of swine, and that on which any other name hath been invoked besides that of
Allah. But if one is forced by necessity, without wilful disobedience, nor transgressing
due limits,- then is he guiltless. For Allah is Oft-forgiving Most Merciful.”

And again in (surah Al-Ma’ida 5:3):

“Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on
which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah. That which hath been killed by
strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by being gored to death; that
which hath been (partly) eaten by a wild animal; unless ye are able to slaughter it (in
due form); that which is sacrificed on stone (altars); (forbidden) also is the division (of
meat) by raffling with arrows: that is impiety.”

Wahab (2004) states that the word ‘Food for Muslims’ or ‘food certified halal’ or ‘halal’ or
having similar meanings can be defined as follows:
a. Free of, and not made of, or containing any part or substance taken or extracted from animal
which are forbidden (haram) to be consumed by Muslims, according to Islamic laws.
b. Not containing any substances, which is declared as filth according to Islamic Laws.
c. Not prepared, processed, produced or manufactured using utensils, equipment and/or
machinery which are not free from filthy substances as directed by Islamic Laws, and
d. During preparation, processing or storage, it should not come into contact or be in close
proximity with any food which do not fulfil the requirements as stipulated in Paragraph (a),
(b) or (c) or any substance declared as being filth according to Islamic Law.

2.2 Awareness
Awareness comprises a human's perception and cognitive reaction to a condition or event.
Awareness does not necessarily imply understanding, just an ability to be conscious of, feel or
perceive. According to Ambar and Bakar (2013), the literal meaning of the word “awareness”
in the halal context is to have special interest in or experience of something and/or being well
informed of what is happening at the present time on halal food, drinks and products.
The use of halal logos to provide awareness and enable consumers identify foods which
are halal, are common around the world. Despite the specific injunctions in Islam, there are still
some unresolved issues with regards to certification and standardization. This affects public
understanding and awareness of what is permissible. Furthermore, in some cases halal logos
are abused, which makes it increasingly difficult for the discerning Muslim consumer.
In many countries, there are authorities which inspect and provide certification or logos
for halal foods. However, these authorities are sometimes in disagreement regarding what
constitutes foods which are halal, and what does not. Wilson & Liu (2010) provides a useful
recent review of the current literature and practices regarding the usage and consumption of
halal, within the marketing and branding context.
Some countries have found it useful to have one designated authority to inspect and
regulate the availability and provision of halal foods such as JAKIM in Malaysia and MUIB in
Brunei. Even then however, the implementation of halal certification is not without its
challenges, most particularly regarding the adulteration of food products as well as the
enforcement by halal food authorities (Shahidan and Md Nor, 2006). Food production has

3
increasingly been based on the advancement of science and technology, which has led to
increasingly complex methods for detection of non-permissible ingredients such as pork, lard
and alcohol (Nurrulhidayah et al., 2011). Furthermore, although relatively still in its infancy,
technological advancements have also been mooted to assist the enforcement of halal logo
usage (Mohd. et al., 2011).
In response to certification issues described above, the Brunei Halal Brand was
launched in 2009 to gain sustainable competitive advantage. Temporal (2011) notes that Brunei
is the first country to introduce both halal certification and halal brand logos. The objective is
to gain the consumer trust towards the Brunei Halal logo, which is automatically associated
with a high halal compliant standard. However, it is acknowledged that the process to bring
about this global awareness and recognition will take time and high costs.
In any case, the presence of a single authority in a country to regulate halal food issues
should assist consumers in making better-informed decisions, but several questions remain.
What is the extent of consumer awareness and understanding towards halal foods? Do
consumers assume that food items coming from traditionally Muslim countries are halal? Do
consumers accept all food items with halal logos, regardless of origin, as halal? Does the
presence of an authority to handle halal food issues mean that consumers delegate the
responsibility of checking the ingredients?

2.3 Religiosity
The link between religion and consumer behavior is noted. However, there exists relatively few
papers which explore religion as a predictor of consumption patterns. One of the main reasons
for this is due to the difficulty of measuring religion as a variable for consumer research.
Nevertheless, the influence of religion has been operationalized in the context of research in
terms of religious affiliation and religiosity.
Religious affiliation is a discrete construct that is typically measured relative to the
denominational membership or religious identification of an individual (e.g. Muslim, Christian,
Jew, Hindu, and Sikh). As an example, Hirschman (1983) found significant differences among
Catholics, Protestants and Jews in the consumption patterns for entertainment, transportation,
and family pets. Although identification as a variable is relatively easy, authors such as Wilkes
et al. (1986), believe that religious affiliation was insufficient in understanding the impact of
religion on consumer behavior.
On the other hand, religiosity is a continuous construct that measures the level of
religious commitment or adherence. Worthington et al. (2003, p. 85) describes religiosity as
“the degree to which a person adheres to his or her religious values, beliefs and uses them in
daily living.” Furthermore, they posit that the “supposition is that a highly religious person will
evaluate the world through religious schemas and thus will integrate his or her religion into
much of his or her life.” Early work relied on single indices or uni-dimensional indicators to
measure religiosity, such as religious attendance. Although there is some disagreement in the
literature regarding the precise number of dimensions to employ in measuring religiosity, most
researchers agree that it should be multidimensional in nature. Thus, the concept of religiosity
allows a richer understanding of the relationship between religion and consumer behavior.
Worthington et al. (2003) developed a general of measure of religiosity known as the
Religious Commitment Inventory (RCI-10) which has been validated across different samples.
The RCI-10 is made up of statements which express intrapersonal religiosity and intrapersonal
religiosity, which measure cognitive and behavioral dimensions of religion. Based on this
measurement scale, Mokhlis (2009) for example, finds significant differences in shopping
orientation (quality consciousness, impulsive shopping and price consciousness) between
Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Christians. Using both religious affiliation and religious
commitment, he finds that differences in shopping orientation were much more profound for

4
religious commitment than religious affiliation, which implies that religiosity may serve to be
a powerful predictor and determinant of consumer behavior. Nazlida and Mizerski (2010)
however, contend that the commitment of consumers to their religion need to be measured
based upon each religions’ perception of religious commitment rather than a single generic
measure.
Khraim (2010) found that three dimensions (i.e. seeking religious education, Islamic
current issues and sensitive products) yielded the best combination of dimensions for the
measurement of Muslim religiosity. This measure however was noted to be directed more on
practical behavior by Abdul Shukor and Jamal (2013), and argued that it did not reflect the true
meaning of Islam. They argued that the measurement of a Muslim’s religiosity should include
two important aspects: relationship with Allah (hablum minallah) and relationship with other
people (hablum minannas).
It can be concluded that to date, huge strides have been made in the measurement of
religiosity in the context of consumer research. Researchers appear to agree that religiosity
cannot be measured in generic terms, but should be defined for each specific setting.
Nevertheless, it is important to gather a holistic measure of religiosity incorporating both
cognitive and behavioral dimensions in an Islamic perspective.

2.4 Purchase Decision

The decision to purchase a product typically goes through a complicated process. The analysis
of purchasing decisions will reveal consumer preferences, behavior, attitude and perception
towards particular products. Several empirical studies have recently been conducted to
understand the purchasing intention or purchasing decision of halal products.
For example, Mohani et al. (2009) finds that assurance is sought in relation to the
“halalness” of business premise, “halalness” of product, and assurance from environmental
elements such as the halal logo. Unsurprisingly, they also find a significant relationship
between respondents’ religious affiliation and perceptions toward halal logo and ingredients.
Furthermore, Yushanis and Chok (2013) found that Halal awareness, Halal certification,
marketing promotion, and brand were positively related to purchase intention, whereas food
quality was negatively associated with it. Also, Hasleena et al. (2013) found that knowledge or
familiarity of the processed Halal foods was the most influential factor in determining the
purchasing decision among Muslim consumers.
All these studies indicate that there is a multitude of factors that affect the consumers
purchasing decision.

3 HYPOTHESIS DEVELOPMENT
3.1 Awareness toward Halal Foods
The Brunei population is multi-religious, and according to the latest Brunei Statistical
Yearbook, (Government of Brunei Darussalam, 2011), 78.8% are Muslims, 7.8% Buddhists,
8.7% Christians and 4.7% follow other faiths. It is expected that Muslims living in multi-
religious societies should be more conscious about the permissibility (halal) of products. The
Brunei Darussalam government has adopted an education system namely the integrated
education system. The integrated education system promotes the idea that any education should
contain both Islamic and worldly knowledge. As stated by the Ministry of Education
(Government of Brunei Darussalam, 2004) that “Brunei Darussalam’s Education Philosophy
is founded on the National Philosophy of a Malay Islamic Monarchy and also incorporates the
two key elements of religion (naqly) on the basis of the Holy Quran and hadith and rational
(aqly) on the basis of reasoning”. The integrated system makes Islamic education a compulsory
subject taken by all Muslim students’. According to Al-Shaybaniy (1991) as cited by Lubis et

5
al. (2009) through the integrated Islamic education, a person can be educated and trained to
understand and uphold the Islamic faith, laws and the morals in one’s life.
It can be said that those who have received religious education are more aware towards
halal foods. Thus in the case Brunei Darussalam which practice Islamic teaching in their lives
and implement Islamic elements in their educational institutions, Muslim students are
aware of halal food. Based on the arguments, the following hypothesis can be developed.

H1: Respondents have a high level awareness towards halal foods

3.2 Linkage Between Awareness on Halal Foods and Purchase Decision

The decision to purchase a product starts with information. Information about whether a food
product can be considered halal or not, is most efficiently transmitted to the consumer through
the use of halal certificates or halal logos. However, as described earlier there still exists some
issues regarding the use and abuse of halal certificates and halal logos. Therefore, it is
important to assess the level of awareness among respondents regarding what constitutes halal,
as well as the extent of their understanding on reliability of halal certificates and halal logos.
Individuals with a high level of awareness on halal foods should therefore be more well-
informed and would be expected to make better purchase decisions. Based on these arguments,
the following hypothesis can be developed.
H2: Halal foods awareness has a positive and significant impact on purchase decision
(or the higher the awareness, the higher the purchase decision)
3.3 Linkage Among Awareness, Religiosity and Purchase Decision
Purchasing decisions of halal products involves faith. Individuals place their trust on halal
certificates and halal logos in the hope that they provide authentic information regarding the
permissibility, or not, of food products. When such information is doubtful, or unavailable, then
the individual relies on faith to make a purchase decision. Religiosity, which measures the level
of religious adherence or commitment, serves to augment the awareness of halal products into
purchase decisions. This means that if two persons had the same level of awareness of halal
food products, then the individual who reported a higher level of religiosity would be expected
to be more likely to make the purchase. Thus the arguments suggest that religiosity mediate the
relationship between awareness and purchase decision.
H3: The higher the degree of religiosity, the stronger the effect of awareness on
purchase decision

Based on the arguments developed above, the model proposed in the present study is as follows:

Figure 1
Religiosity
(X2)

Awareness Purchase
(X1) Decision
(X3)

6
4.0 METHODOLOGY
Data for this study was gathered by primary data collection method through a structured
questionnaire. The questionnaire contains four (4) sections and comprises 25 items. The first
section of the survey sought demographic information from the respondents such as gender,
age, marital status, education level. The second section asks for respondents’ perception of
purchase decision based on 6 given statements. The third section is designed to investigate the
awareness towards halal foods. The last part of the questionnaire measures religiosity consist
of 9 items. In the second, third and fourth sections respondents were requested to rate their
opinions according to a five point Likert type scale ranging from 1 to 5. 1 refers to strongly
disagree , 2 refers to disagree , 3 refers to neutral , 4 refers to agree , and 5 refers to strongly
agree. The questionnaire was developed in both Malay and English languange, as the majority
of the respondents were educated in the languages. Data were collected from various local
higher education institutions including Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA), Universiti
Brunei Darussalam (UBD), Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB) and Politeknik Brunei using a
convenience sampling procedure.
A total of 200 questionnaires were sent and 127 questionnaires were returned, making
a response rate 64%. From the total questionnaire received, 6 questionnaires were excluded
from the study because filled by non students (lecturers). This left the study with 121 usable
questionnaires for data analysis. Reliability analysis is used to test how consistently the
measuring instruments have measured the constructs. Table 1 presents the reliability of the scale
used in this research.

Table 1: Reliability Coefficients

Variables No. of items Cronbach’s alpha

Awareness 10 0.601
Purchase Decision 6 0.884
Religiosity 9 0.826

Table 1 shows that the three scales has Cronbach’s alpha value for all items are more than 0.6.
A value of 0.6 or higher is generally considered to indicate high reliability (Hair Jr. et al. 1998).

4.1 Regression Analysis of the Proposed Model

In statistics and regression analysis, moderation occurs when the relationship between
two variables (in this case awareness and purchase decision) depends on a third variable
(religiosity). The third variable is reffered to as the moderator variable. A moderated regression
analysis (MRA) is used to test the model of the study as shown in the above figure. The MRA
equation is as follows:

𝑿𝟑 = 𝜷𝟏 𝑿𝟏 + 𝜷𝟐 𝑿𝟐 + 𝜷𝟑 (𝑿𝟏 × 𝑿𝟐 ) + 𝜺

where: 𝑋1= awareness; 𝑋2= religiosity, and; 𝑋3 = purchase decision.

Therefore 𝛽1 measures the direct effect of awareness on purchase decision, 𝛽2 measures the
direct effect of religiosity on purchase decision. If 𝛽3 is significant and negative (i.e., b3 < 0),
then the hypotheses could not be rejected. In MRA, the new interaction variable calculated will
be correlated with the two main terms used to calculate it. This is known as the problem of
multicollinearity in moderated regression. Therefore, the focus of this paper is to consider the
direction or statistical significance of the effects, rather than the absolute size.

7
5 RESULTS
5.1 Background of Respondents
Table 2 below provides demographic data collected from the respondents which encompass
age, gender, status, highest level education and religious education background.
Table 2: Demographic Profile

Characteristics Frequency Percentage (%)

Age
Less than 20 years 25 20.7
Between 20 and 29 years 95 78.5
Between 30 and 39 years 1 0.8
Gender
Male 43 35.5
Female 78 64.5
Status
Single 116 95.9
Married 5 4.1
Highest Level Education
GCE O level or below 4 3.3
GCE A level or equivalent 53 43.8
Diploma or equivalent 7 5.8
Bachelor Degree or equivalent 51 42.1
Postgraduate degree or equivalent 5 4.1
Others 1 0.8
Religious Education Background
Completed primary six 91 75.2
Attended but did not complete primary six 8 6.6
Not attended 3 2.5
Others 19 15.7

Table 2 shows that the majority respondents, 95 (78.5 %) were aged between 20 to 29
years old. This is followed by 25 respondents (20.7%) aged less than 20 years old and only one
respondent (0.8%) was aged between 30 and 39 years old. In terms of gender, more than half
of respondents, 78 are female (64.5%) and 43 are male (35.5%). In terms of marital status, the
majority of the respondents (95.9 %) are single. On the other hand, a small proportion of
respondents (4.1%) are married.
Table 2 also shows that in terms of highest educational level, there is almost an equal
number of respondents who have GCE A level or equivalent (53 respondents) and bachelor
degree or equivalent (51 respondents). This is followed by 7 respondents those who had
diploma or equivalent (5.8%), 5 respondents had postgraduate degree or equivalent a (4.1%), 4
respondents had CGE O level or below (3.3%), and others 1 respondent (0.8%). As far as the
formal religious education is concerned, majority of respondents had completed primary six. It
constitutes 75.2% of the sample. Further, 6.6% of respondents attended but did not complete
primary six, 2.5% not attended, and others 15.7%. This means that a significant proportion of
respondents have received a decent background in Islamic religious education.

8
5.2 Test of Hypothesis 1

The first hypothesis of this study was respondents have a high level awareness toward halal
foods. Evidence in table 3 below indicates that 31.4% of respondents have a very high level of
awareness. Overwhelmingly more than 60% of respondents have high level of awareness.
Therefore, more than 95% of respondents report to have a high or very high level of awareness
of halal foods. This provides support for H1 which indicates that the halal food awareness
among students in higher education is significantly high.

Table 3: Percentage of Responses Related to Awareness Toward Halal Foods

Total Score Level of Awareness Frequency Percentage (%)

41 – 50 Very high 38 31.40
31 – 40 High 77 63.64
21 – 30 Moderate 5 4.13
11 – 20 Low 1 0.83
1 - 10 Very low 0 0

5.3 Test of Hypothesis 2 and 3

The second hypothesis of the model requires a test of the expected positive and significant
effect of awareness on purchase decision. Table 4 presents the results to test hypothesis 2. As
shown in table 4, the effect of awareness on purchase decision is positive and significant (t =
5.255, p = 0.000 < 0.05). The results provide strong support for hypothesis 2.

Table 4: Regression Results The Moderating Effect of Religiosity (𝑋2)

on the Relationship Between Awareness (𝑋1 ) and Purchase Decision (𝑋3)

Equation (1) Y = b1X1 + b2X2 + b3 X1 X2 + e

Variable Value SE t-stat Sig
X1 Awareness 1.312 0.250 5.255 0.000
X2 Religiosity 1.510 0.255 5.921 0.000
X1X2 Moderating -0.034 0.007 -2.590 0.000
R= 0.606 R2 = 0.367 F = 22.659 α = 0.05

For the third hypothesis, it was expected that the higher the level of religiosity, the
stronger the effect of awareness on purchase decision. As shown in Table 4, the third hypothesis
cannot be rejected (since 𝛽3 = -0.034, p = 0.000 < 0.05) which indicates that religiosity does
indeed act as a moderating variable on the relationship between awareness and purchase
decision.

6 CONCLUSIONS AND LIMITATIONS

This study examines the effects religiosity on the relationship between awareness and
purchase decision.This research has generated three interesting findings. First, the research
found that the awareness of Muslim Students in Brunei concerning halal foods was considerably
high. This is an encouraging result because previous research (such as Salman and Siddiqui,
2011 and Nor Ardyanti et al., 2013) found that people who are highly religious may not
necessarily have high level of awareness about halal food. Looking at the above demographic
information, it can be seen that majority of respondents of this study is largely dominated by

9
students who has completed primary six religious education so they are very cautious related to
halal foods. This means that the higher an individual’s religious education, the more will be their
concern to ensure that the food they eat conforms to halal requirements. This study also suggests
that the internalization of Islamic values related to halal foods can be enhanced through the
education process. The influence of Islamic values related to halal foods on individuals’ values
is not immediate and that individual may need time to be learned that certain values are correct.
Second, the results of this research show that Muslims students studying in higher
institutions have a very positive awareness towards halal foods that positively influences their
purchase decision to those foods. Halal foods makes customers to be aware with a product and
then build an intension of purchase. This means that awareness is a key factor for Muslim
students when assessing foods. Macdonald and Sharp (2000) states that awareness was a rule
of thumb adopted by consumers while making a purchase decision; if they had greater
familiarity with the product, they would show a greater purchase intention for it. This result
support research done by Soesilowati (2010) which found Muslim respondents consistently put
a high priority on the halal issue when they purchase food, buy meat, or select a restaurant.
Third, the higher the degree of religiosity, the stronger the effect of awareness on
purchase decision. Religiosity is very important because it determines individual cognition and
behaviour. In another words the extent to which religion affects one’s beliefs and behaviour
depends on the individual’s level of religiosity. It is highly likely that religiosity will govern an
individual’s behaviour, including behaviour as a halal food consumer. The greater the intensity
of ones’ religious affiliation, the higher will be the chances that he will strive to conform to his
religious obligations in the consumption world.
Several limitations of this study may be noted. First, the sample was taken from higher
institutions only and respondents were selected using convenience sampling. It is recommended
that future research consider using a bigger sample size representative of all Bruneian Muslims
and a wider geographical area to establish the level and impact of halal foods awareness of the
Bruneian consumer. Second, the study did not consider all the variables that might affect
purchase decision. There might be another variables that influence purchase decision. The
buying behaviour is influenced by both internal and external factors (Jalalkamali and Nikbin,
2010). The internal factors comprised of motivation, perception, consumer resources,
knowledge, attitudes, personality, values and lifestyle. On the other hand, the external input
variables consist of the environmental and marketing stimuli. Third, while awareness and
purchase decision measure is well recognized in the literature. The survey instrument and
conceptualization of religiosity are both issues requiring further investigation in the literature.
The findings of this study add to the limited knowledge of halal foods research. This
study identifies a gap in the literature, it has explored that gap through quantitative research,
however, there still remains a significant amount of research requiring to be done in this area
to replicate or extend this study. Beside this, the present study is of practical significance
because the empirical result provide information about halal foods to help government to
develop strategies toward increasing halal foods awareness. Also, the results indicate that
awareness are important antecedents of Muslim students intention to purchase halal foods.
Therefore, marketers should design their marketing campaigns focusing on creating awareness
regarding their compliance with halal products. Moreover, food manufacturers and sellers
should use the reliable halal certification and logo as a way to inform their consumers that their
products are truly halal.

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