Cultural food identity, place attachment, and sustainable tourism support: a cross-sectional attitudinal study in the Republic of Moldova

Abstract

Resident support constitutes a structural prerequisite for long-term tourism destination viability, yet the cultural and psychological determinants of this support remain poorly documented in post-Soviet, transitional-economy contexts. The Republic of Moldova - a country that has strategically invested in gastronomic heritage and wine routes as pillars of tourism development - has received no prior quantitative attention in the resident attitudes literature. This cross-sectional survey study addresses this gap by examining the attitudinal predictors of sustainable tourism support among urban Moldovan residents, with particular focus on cultural food identity, place attachment, pro-environmental worldview, and digital technology attitudes. Data were collected between April and November 2025 via a bilingual (Romanian and Russian) online questionnaire administered to adult residents of Moldova. A total of 182 valid responses were obtained (115 females, 63.2%; predominance of the 18-24 age cohort, 56.0%). Six psychometric instruments were administered comprising 48 Likert-type items rated on a seven-point scale. These instruments measured: (1) the Food Involvement Scale (FIS; 12 items), capturing personal relevance attributed to food purchasing and preparation; (2) the Traditional Products Attitudes scale (TPA; 12 items), a study-developed instrument assessing cultural identification with traditional food products, perceived quality, and trust in local producers; (3) the Place Attachment Scale (PAS; 6 items), operationalizing place identity and place dependence; (4) the Sustainable Tourism Attitude Scale (STAS; 6 items), measuring endorsement of responsible tourism development; (5) the New Ecological Paradigm scale (NEP; 6 adapted items), assessing pro-environmental worldview; and (6) the Digital Technology Attitudes scale (TECH; 6 purpose-built items), examining openness to digital and mobile platforms for heritage promotion.