Why Gen Z Continues Consuming Soft Drinks despite Health Awareness: An Empirical Study on Consumer Behaviour and Marketing Triggers

Abstract

This paper investigates the profound behavioral paradox where Generation Z (Gen Z) consumers continue to consume high volumes of sugar-sweetened soft drinks and energy drinks despite possessing clear, verified knowledge of severe long-term health risks such as clinical obesity, type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular complications, and rapid dental erosion. While public health initiatives, institutional warnings, and educational curriculum frame dietary strategies around the rational assumption that high health literacy naturally transitions into preventative lifestyle choices, real-world analytical metrics reveal a profound systemic disconnect. By executing a localized empirical field survey of 85 young adults (aged 15–26) within the educational hub of Durg and Bhilai in Chhattisgarh, India, and combining this primary dataset with a synthesized critique of 21 core research literature sources, this paper maps the socio-cognitive, physicalenvironmental, economic, and neurobiological triggers that systematically override rational health intentions at the real-time purchasing counter. Our primary findings indicate that corporate-driven \"coolness factors,\" aggressive short-form social media influencer placement, localized peer group modeling structures, and predatory campus fast-food combo pricing architectures operate concurrently to build an insulated, highaffinity habit loop. This research provides a deep structural data breakdown using frequency distributions, descriptive statistics, and multi-variable cross-tabulations, interpreted through psychological frameworks including the Dopamine Reward Cycle, Cognitive Dissonance Engine, and Social Validation Theory. Finally, we conclude with comprehensive, practical, and highly scalable institutional recommendations across campus choice architecture, financial de-coupling of meals, and localized digital counter-marketing frameworks designed to structurally bridge the widening gap between abstract health awareness and active youth consumer behavior.

Introduction

The text discusses the growing consumption of carbonated soft drinks and energy beverages among Generation Z, particularly in urbanizing regions like India, despite their awareness of associated health risks. It highlights a key paradox: although Gen Z has high access to digital health information and understands risks like obesity and diabetes, their actual consumption behavior remains high. This contradiction is driven by factors such as low-cost availability, aggressive marketing, peer influence, emotional triggers, and social media “coolness” branding that overrides health awareness at the moment of purchase.

The study identifies a clear gap between health knowledge and real-world behavior, arguing that traditional health education alone is insufficient to reduce consumption. It sets objectives to measure awareness levels, analyze socio-cultural and commercial influences, and evaluate how digital marketing, pricing strategies, and peer pressure shape beverage choices. Research questions and hypotheses focus on whether awareness impacts consumption and how stress, social influence, and marketing affect drinking behavior.

The literature review supports this paradox, showing that cognitive awareness often fails to change behavior due to cognitive dissonance. Studies indicate that health warnings and education have weak influence on consumption, while marketing strategies strongly shape preferences by creating emotional appeal, brand familiarity, and identity-based consumption. Influencer culture and social media further reinforce soft drink consumption as part of a desirable lifestyle.

Conclusion

This empirical study demonstrates that Generation Z\'s continuous consumption of soft drinks is not caused by a lack of health literacy, but by a complex web of environmental, social, neurochemical, and economic forces. Despite over 89% of respondents showing clear awareness of catastrophic long-term clinical risks like diabetes and obesity, 61.18% continue to consume these drinks regularly. This confirms that theoretical health warnings are consistently bypassed by immediate situational triggers like peer group conformity, aggressive corporate branding, digital lifestyle reinforcement, and cheap combo pricing.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Vipin Singh Rajput, Dr. Mohammed Bakhtawar Ahmed. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.