A Comparative Analysis of Consumer Attitudes on the Use of Wood Products in Slovenia and Croatia

In this paper, we compare consumer perceptions and attitudes in the wood products sectors in Slovenia and Croatia presenting them on the basis of a random sample of Slovenian and Croatian citizens between the age of 25 and 65. Data were collected using the computer assisted telephone interviewing method (CATI). The results suggest that, generally, there is a positive perception regarding the use of wood in both countries. The study results can potentially be a good basis for creating awareness-raising campaigns on the advantages of using wood in both countries.


INTRODUCTION
1. UVOD Slovenia and Croatia have similar forest sectors and both countries have experienced similar problems in the manufacturing, sale and use of wood products in recent years due to the global recession.This study com-pares consumer attitudes and preferences in both countries with regard to wood furniture demand, consumer habits and attitudes towards wooden buildings.Although Croatia and Slovenia are both considered developed countries, and are similar in many ways, there are socioeconomic differences between the two countries (Table 1).For example, Croatia, with a population over twice that of Slovenia, has higher national debt, unemplyment and poverty.However, Slovenia was impacted more severely by the current recession with a contraction in GDP of over four times that of Croatia.
Table 2 compares forest-related information for Slovenia and Croatia.While Croatia has twice the forest area available for supplying wood, the per capita forest land is almost identical with 63 and 62 hectares, respectively for Croatia and Slovenia.Forest land ownership patterns differ between the two countries with publicly owned forests accounting for 78 percent of the total in Croatia and only 23 percent in Slovenia.Beech is the primary species found in both countries while oak is ranked second in Croatia and spruce is second in Slovenia.In addition, in 2007 wood consumption per capita in Slovenia was above the EU average, while in Croatia wood consumption per capita was the lowest (Figure 1).
A review of the literature identifi ed many critical issues related to the increased use of wood as an environmentally friendly and sustainable material (Jelačić et al, 2010;Motik et al, 2004;Petersen and Solberg, 2005;Tykkä, 2009;Zbašnik Senegačnik et al, 2011).These authors discuss wood processing ranging from traditional artisan carpentry to the use of wood as a construction material, as well as strategies for using wood, and environmental and economic impacts of use of wood products and alternative materials.
The primary objectives of this research were to: 1) describe domestic wood usage in the furniture manufacturing and in construction sectors of Croatia and Slovenia; 2) examine consumer perceptions of wood in each country and; 3) identify possibilities for increased consumer use of wood.We researched a number of topics including the determination of prefered construction methods, correlations between potential furniture use and perceptions of the timber industry.One of the main hypotheses was that there was no signifi cant difference between the perception of a healthy living environment related to the use of wood; life-styles are   2006, 2007, 2008(Forest Products Statistics 2004-2008, 2009 -analyzed by M. Piškur, Surveying and Mapping Institute of Slovenia, 2011) Slika 1. Potrošnja piljenog drva i drvenih ploča u odabranim državama po stanovniku 2006, 2007, 2008.similar and the share of artisan furniture is fairly large both in Slovenia and Croatia.

MATERIJALI I METODE
The sample frame for the study was structured according to population frequencies of the regional sectors in each country.Due to wide discrepancies of populations in study regions, the data were weighted by these population frequencies.743 respondents were included in the study, 406 from Slovenian and 337 from Croatia.Data were collected conducted with the CATI method -computer assisted telephone interviewing (Kreuter et al, 2008).In Slovenia, the interview process took place from 15 th December 2010 to 22 nd December 2010; in Croatia, from 16 th May to 27 th May 2011.The survey questionnaire was developed by two research groups at the Department of Wood Science and Technology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, and the Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, in cooperation with the Chamber of Crafts and Small Business of Slovenia.Research group members had a broad expertise in the wood products sector including architecture, wood technology and construction.
The reliability of data depends on two factors: the size of the sample and the portion assessed.The smaller the share assessed, the larger the sample required; in the case samples of the same-size, assessments of smaller shares are less reliable.In this study, the degree of reliability for the population sample frame was tested at the 5 percent risk level with a resulting 95 per-cent probability that the sample population values are within the +/-5 percent confi dence interval.
With regard to the questionnaire structure, respondents were presented with questions for 10 topical areas: 1) general perceptions of wood; 2) material selection when replacing windows in the respondent's home; 3) sources of information when selecting furniture; 5) preferences for domestic or foreign furniture manufacturers; 6) furniture replacement time frames; 7) the share of custom-made furniture in respondent homes; 8) desire to have more solid wood furniture in the home and reasons; 9) attitude towards a healthy living environment in connection with wood and; 10) home construction material preferences with regard to energy effi ciency.

Demografska struktura uzorka
Table 3 summarizes demographic characteristics of respondents in each country.Generally, Slovenian respondents have a lower percentage of females, they are younger in age, less educated, and have higher personal incomes.Respondents from both countries have the same unemployment rate of 24 percent.

Percepcija uporabe drva
A bank of six statements were posed to respondents, which they rated on a Likert-type scale of 1-5, where 1=strongly disagree, 2=disagree, 3=neutral, 4=agree, 5=strongly agree (Figure 2).On average, re- spondents from Slovenia had signifi cantly higher levels of agreement for all statements in this section.In addition, all responses were, on average, above the midpoint of 3.0 except for the statement "Wooden construction is more fi re resistant than aslternative construction methods", which had average respondent values of 1.8 and 2.4 for Croatia and Slovenia, respectively.Generally, wood is viewed as a viable construction and value-added product material that promotes a healthy living environment.Respondents believe that environmentally friendly construction is expensive but that their respective governments should (co-fi nance) environmentally-friendly construction.

Odabir materijala pri zamjeni prozora
Respondents were asked which materials they would use when replacing old or purchasing new windows.Multiple responses were possible.In addition, respondents indicated their "fi rst choice" of material.We also show the total of "other answers" for each category, as well as grand total for "fi rst choice plus" "other answers".Figure 3 shows that the largest share of respondents would choose wood (Slovenia: 58 percent; Croatia: 35 percent), followed by polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a thermoplastic polymer.Wood-aluminum is ranked third in Croatia, and aluminium in Slovenia.Other materials were selected by signifi cantly fewer respondents.It should be noted that the grand total for "fi rst choice plus" "other answers" for wood is 65 percent in Slovenia and 57 percent in Croatia.

Kriterij pri odabiru namještaja
Respondents were asked where they acquire information when selecting furniture (Figure 4).Multiple responses were possible.In addition, as is the case for product selection previously discussed, respondents indicated their "fi rst choice" of material.Figure 3 Answers to "If you decided to replace or purchase windows, which material would you choose?"Percentage of respondents.Multiple responses possible (A -Croatia, n=336, B -Slovenia, n=406) Slika 3. Odgovori na pitanje"Kad biste se odlučili za zamjenu ili kupnju prozora, koji biste materijal izabrali?"(A -Hrvatska, n=336, B -Slovenija, n=406) "other answers" for each category as well as grand total for "fi rst choice plus" "other answers" are also shown.In Slovenia, shopping centers were ranked fi rst by 25 percent of respondents and an additional 23 percent of respondents selected shopping centers as ranked lower than fi rst choice; the combined share of respondents totaled 49 percent.Internet offers were ranked second and magazine information third.Online offers were ranked fi rst in Croatia, followed by information found in shopping centers.

Domestic vs. foreign manufacturers 3.5. Domaći proizvođači nasuprot stranima
We were interested in whether respondents prefer domestic or foreign furniture manufacturers (Figure 5).Slovenian respondents were more opinionated with 72 percent preferring domestic manufacturers compared to 40 percent of Croatian respondents.Thirty-nine percent of Croatian respondents were undecided relative to 23 percent of Slovenian respondents.In the question that followed, we asked respondents when they planned to replace their living-room furniture (Figure 6).Twelve percent of Slovenian respondents plan to replace their living-room furniture by the end of 2011 relative to four percent of Croatians.For those respondents that plan to replace furniture, the highest percentage of respondents in Slovenia plan to do so in the 5-10 year period (20 percent) while 24 percent of Croatian respondents plan to do so in the 3-5 year period.Twenty-eight percent of Slovenian respondents and 12 percent of Croatian respondents have no plans to purchase new living-room furniture.Respondents were then asked about the number of custom-made furniture and mass-produced pieces of furniture they currently have in their homes.The percentage of custom-made furniture was then calculated (Figure 7).On average, for both Slovenian and Croa-
3.8 Desire to own more wooden furniture 3.8.Želja za posjedovanjem više drvenog namještaja We were also interested in whether respondents would like to own more pieces of solid wood furniture and the reasons why (Figure 8).Respondents indicated their "fi rst choice" of reason.The the total of "other answers" for each category as well as grand total for "fi rst choice plus" "other answers" are also shown.In Slovenia, the percentage of respondents who would like to own more pieces of solid wood furniture and those who would not is 54 percent and 46 percent, respectively.However, in Croatia, the ratio is 64 percent and 36 percent.The primary reasons for desiring solid wood furniture are similar in Slovenia and Croatia: aesthetics, quality and durability, environmental-friendliness, health, warmth and homey appearance.
3.9 Wood and a healthy living environment 3.9.Drvo i zdrava životna okolina After we stated to respondents that a healthy living environment is tied to the use of wood, purposely biasing responses, we asked the respondents if they were willing to spend more for a healthier living environment.Respondents indicated their "fi rst choice" of room.The total of "other answers" for each category as well as grand total for "fi rst choice plus" "other answers" are also shown.Only 10 percent of the respondents were not willing to spend more.Others (86 percent in Slovenia and 99 percent in Croatia) would invest primarily in living rooms, bedrooms and kitchens (Figure 9).

Izgradnja kuće i energetska učinkovitost
In Slovenia and Croatia, timber panel construction (prefabricated construction) has existed for over Figure 6 Answers to the question "When do you plan to replace your living-room furniture?(Croatia, n=327, Slovenia, n=406) Slika 6. Odgovori na pitanje "Kad namjeravate promijeniti namještaj u dnevnoj sobi?" (Hrvatska, n=327, Slovenija, n=406)  Answers to the question "What is the share of custom-made furniture in your home?" (Croatia, n =327, Slovenia, n =406) Slika 7. Odgovori na pitanje "Koliki je u vašem stanu udio namještaja napravljenoga po narudžbi?"(Hrvatska, n=327, Slovenija, n =406) Figure 8 Answers to the question "Would you like to have more pieces of solid wood furniture in your home?" "If so, why?" Percentage of respondents.Multiple responses possible.(A -Croatia, n =329, B -Slovenia, n =406) Slika 8. Odgovori na pitanje "Želite li u svom domu imati više masivnog namještaja?" (A -Hrvatska, n =329, B -Slovenija, n =406) 35 years.We were therefore interested whether respondents would prefer low-energy construction or prefabricated timber construction if they hypothetically were to build a new house today.The results show that 51 percent of Slovenian respondents would choose traditional construction, 32 percent would choose prefabricated timber construction implemented by a recognized manufacturer of low-energy timber houses, and 10 percent would undertake the project themselves.In Croatia, traditional low-energy construction is ranked fi rst with 51 percent of respondents, 18 percent would choose timber construction by recognized manufacturers, whereas 18 percent would undertake the project themselves.It is worthless that 30 percent of Croatian respondents were undecided (Figure 10).