Background. Literature reports on the relationship of dairy product consumption with preferences and socio-economic characteristics. Little is known about purchase behavior in the dairy market and its determinants, especially among older adults. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between consumer behavior patterns, selected demographic characteristics,  socioeconomic status and purchase decisions of older people in the dairy market. A cross-sectional study was conducted between July and October 2024 among people aged 60 and older in the Lower Silesia region. A total of 470 people participated in all stages of the study. The survey collected data on dairy purchase frequency (CZ_PM scale), purchase decisions (DZ_PM scale), selected demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and purchase decisions.A PCA’s analysis identified 3 patterns of consumer behavior. A socioeconomic status was described with the SES index in 3 categories of severity: low, moderate, high. The relationship of the identified consumer behavior patterns and their determinants was verified by a Chi-square test.
Results and conclusions. It was found that more people characterized by a high intensity of the “purchase of fermented dairy drinks and cheese” and “purchase of powdered milk, condensed and unfermented dairy drinks” patterns lived with a family without a partner. More people with a high intensity of the “purchase of milk and dairy fats” pattern lived in small towns, only with a partner, and had a high socioeconomic status. Most of the products within the “purchase of fermented dairy drink and cheeses” and “purchase of milk and dairy fats” were more likely to be purchased personally by older people. Products included in the “purchase of powdered milk, condensed and unfermented milk drinks” pattern were more often not purchased because they were not consumed. The evaluation of the relationship, especially its causal nature, between determinants and consumer behavior of older people in the dairy market requires further research.