Consumer Rights Awareness among Selected Municipalities in Malita, Davao Occidental, Philippines

Abstract

The study was an assessment of consumer rights awareness in selected municipalities of Davao Occidental, Philippines. The province has a dearth of literature on consumer rights awareness, and consumer education campaigns were seldom done. The study looks at the socio-economic background (SEB) of consumers, extent of awareness on consumer rights, consumer-related problems, and factors affecting consumer rights awareness. The study employed 1270 randomly chosen samples. Data were analyzed using mean, percentage, and chi-square. Results showed that the average age of respondents was 37.74 years old, mostly female, married, attained high school education, and earned a minimal average monthly income of PhP 2,994.75. Many consumers were aware of consumer rights. However, they had difficulty identifying RA7394 or “Consumer Act of the Philippines.” Top consumer-related problems identified were unreasonable price, poor service quality, lack of information about the product, and underweight products. Age, educational attainment, and income of consumers significantly affected consumer rights awareness. The findings reveal the need to further intensify the campaign on consumer rights awareness through regular conduct of a consumers’ forum.