Background. Consumer acceptance and willingness to consume functional foods (FF) is a complex and slow process that depends on many factors. Therefore, understanding consumer responses to FF is essential. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the determinants of consumers’ functional food purchasing decisions and sociodemographic characteristics (gender, place of residence, income level, lifestyle). The study used a survey measurement method. A survey questionnaire (Google forms) was the research instrument. The survey was conducted among 422 young consumers, represented by members of Generation Z, in 2024 and 2025. A scale reliability analysis was performed based on Cronbach’s α coefficients. The Spearman’s rank correlation analysis was done to determine the strength and significance of relationships between dependent variables and independent variables. The study has certain limitations.
Results and conclusions. It was observed that people who pay attention to foods with high nutritional value show a positive correlation both with FFA (0.23) and FFR (0.22). In contrast, those with high health consciousness show a positive correlation with FFA (0.17). On the basis of the analyses performed, it was shown that there is a relationship between elements describing the lifestyle of young consumers, such as concern for health and consumption of foods with high nutritional value of the product and positive attitudes and opinions regarding functional foods. In addition, it was found that the product values related to quality, composition, health, ecological and sensory values, price, availability and diverse assortment are of greatest importance in the decision to purchase functional foods by young buyers, representatives of generation Z in Poland.