scholarly journals Heuristic and systematic processing differentially influence the effects of scientific consensus messaging on perceived scientific consensus

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keiichi Kobayashi
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Message Content ◽  
Presentation Style ◽  
Scientific Consensus ◽  
Gm Food ◽  
Gm Foods ◽  
Systematic Processing ◽  
Content Evaluation ◽  
Consensus Information ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThis study investigated the impact of scientific consensus messaging on perceived scientific consensus in terms of heuristic and systematic processing. Japanese undergraduates (N = 226) received a message indicating relatively moderate and high levels of scientific consensus on the safety of foods grown with pesticides and genetically modified (GM) foods. Participants in the presentation-style evaluation condition evaluated the style and manner of providing the message and thereby were encouraged to heuristically process information about scientific consensus in the message. Participants in the content evaluation condition evaluated the message content and therefore could process the information systematically. After evaluating the message, participants’ perceptions of scientific consensus improved. The levels of posteriorly perceived scientific consensus were higher for the presentation-style evaluation condition than for the content evaluation condition. Participants’ initial beliefs about the GM-food safety predicted their posterior perceptions of scientific consensus for the content evaluation condition but not for the presentation-style evaluation condition. These results suggest that the heuristic and systematic processing of scientific consensus information differentially influence the impact of scientific consensus messaging.

Correcting Misperceptions About Genetically Modified Food on Social Media: Examining the Impact of Experts, Social Media Heuristics, and the Gateway Belief Model

2020 ◽  
pp. 107554702098137
Author(s):  
Leticia Bode ◽  
Emily K. Vraga ◽  
Melissa Tully
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Genetically Modified Food ◽  
The Public ◽  
Scientific Consensus ◽  
Gm Food ◽  
Belief Model ◽  
The Impact

We experimentally test whether expert organizations on social media can correct misperceptions of the scientific consensus on the safety of genetically modified (GM) food for human consumption, as well as what role social media cues, in the form of “likes,” play in that process. We find expert organizations highlighting scientific consensus on GM food safety reduces consensus misperceptions among the public, leading to lower GM misperceptions and boosting related consumption behaviors in line with the gateway belief model. Expert organizations’ credibility may increase as a result of correction, but popularity cues do not seem to affect misperceptions or credibility.

scholarly journals A multi-attribute model of Japanese consumer's purchase intention for GM foods

2010 ◽  
Vol 56 (No. 10) ◽  
pp. 449-459 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.B. Kim
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Purchase Decision ◽  
Food Label ◽  
Food Purchase ◽  
Gm Food ◽  
Gm Foods ◽  
Attribute Model ◽  
Search For Information

This study illustrates that consumers' GM food purchase decision is determined by a set of correlated variables. The interrelationship among the GM food purchase decision determinants is examined conceptually and empirically with a multi-attribute model, describing this interrelationship. Consumers' attitudes toward subjects such as innovation, science & technology as well as their trust towards the government's regulatory system of food safety and GM food are strong indicators of the consumers' GM food purchase decision. Given the limited availability of GM foods in the market which leads to a lack of understanding and experience of GM foods, consumers' knowledge and their search for information on food label appear to be weaker determinants of the GM food purchase decision for consumers.

The Impact of Perceived Scientific and Social Consensus on Scientific Beliefs

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keiichi Kobayashi
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Japanese People ◽  
Social Consensus ◽  
Scientific Consensus ◽  
Perceived Credibility ◽  
Consensus Information ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Two studies examined perceptions of scientific and social (social network and public) consensus on scientific issues and their impact on scientific beliefs, using samples of Japanese people. In Study 1 ( N = 434), participants’ estimates of scientific and social consensus predicted their scientific beliefs independently of each other. In Study 2 ( N = 694), the presentation of scientific and public consensus information as an anchor for consensus estimation influenced participants’ scientific beliefs through their perceptions of scientific and public consensus. The perceived credibility of scientists had little if any effect on the relationship between perceived scientific consensus and scientific beliefs.

Science or prejudice

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-107
Author(s):  
Jintao Zhan ◽  
Yubei Ma ◽  
Xinye Lv ◽  
Meng Xu ◽  
Mingyang Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Regression Model ◽  
Agricultural Product ◽  
Subjective Perception ◽  
Transgenic Technology ◽  
Chinese Consumers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Subjective Perceptions ◽  
Gm Food ◽  
Gm Foods ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Some researchers argue that consumers’ lack of knowledge is an important factor increasing risk for a new product derived from emerging agricultural technology. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the potential impacts and the differential effects of subjective and objective perceptions on Chinese consumers’ preferences for the application of a novel biotechnology. Design/methodology/approach Taking transgenic technology as an example and employing data from a survey of 1,000 consumers in Jiangsu Province, the authors develop a mixed-process regression model based on Fishbein’s multiple attributes attitude model. Findings The results suggest that there are apparent differences between Chinese consumers’ subjective perceptions and objective perceptions concerning transgenic technology and genetically modified (GM) food, and there exists certain selective perceptions of the emerging biotechnology. Having a subjective perception concerning transgenic technology has a positive effect on consumers’ overall attitudes, whereas subjective and objective perceptions concerning GM foods have a negative effect on consumers’ overall attitudes. Self-identification generated from subjective perception occupies a dominant position in determining consumers’ attitudes. Originality/value Consumers’ attitudes regarding an agricultural product depend on their perception of the attributes of the technology used to produce such a product. This study attempts to distinguish and empirically test urban consumers’ subjective perceptions (self-assessed or perceived) and objective perceptions (obtained from a test) about transgenic technology and GM foods and the impact of these four types of perception on the consumers’ attitudes regarding the application of transgenic technology. In this paper, the authors construct a mixed-process regression model to address the possible endogeneity of the perception variables.

Conclusion

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Freidberg
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
The United States ◽  
Media Analysis ◽  
Food Aid ◽  
Gm Food ◽  
Gm Foods ◽  
Food Standards ◽  
Critical Media ◽  
The Government

Seven years after Britain’s government in 1996 admitted to the potentially catastrophic human health risks of mad cow disease, fears of the deadly pathogen had faded. Scientists had neither a vaccine nor a cure for nCJD, but in early 2003 they downgraded the projected infection rates; tens of thousands of cases of nCJD now appeared unlikely. The domestic beef market had recovered, and even long-critical media commentators said it was time for beef “to have a revival” (Lawrence 2003a). Whether for reasons of safety, taste or patriotism, market surveys indicated that consumers now preferred British beef to imported meats (Mintel 2003). They also worried rather less about overall food safety. According to the government’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) annual Consumer Attitudes Survey, the percentage of consumers who described themselves as “very” or “quite” concerned about food safety had dropped to 68 percent in 2002 down from 71 percent the year before.1 This is still a lot of concern, but the government nonetheless concluded that it had “made some headway” in its efforts to win back public trust. At the international level, however, longstanding food controversies still simmered and sometimes flared. Zambia, for example, set off a round of transatlantic name-calling in late 2002 when, despite impending famine, it refused to distribute genetically modified (GM) food aid from the United States. The U.S. trade secretary accused the “Luddite” Europeans of forcing Africans to go hungry because the Zambians, like other southern African agro-exporters, feared losing access to the European market if American GM corn contaminated their own crops. European NGOs, meanwhile, condemned the United States for using food aid to establish an African beachhead for the biotech industry (Vidal 2002; Teather 2003). Media analysis of this controversy gave little attention to Zambian citizens’ views of GM food, emphasizing instead the striking rift between American and European perspectives on GM foods and food quality more generally. As in past coverage of the transatlantic GM battle, the explanation was partly cultural (Europeans simply care more about taste than shelf life), partly social psychological. The trauma of recent food scares, in other words, had left Europeans suspicious of “unnatural” foods even if “science” insisted they were safe.

scholarly journals The Chinese public’s awareness and attitudes toward genetically modified foods with different labeling

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yawei Zhao ◽  
Haiyan Deng ◽  
Changxin Yu ◽  
Ruifa Hu
Keyword(s):  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Negative Attitude ◽  
Food Labeling ◽  
Public Confidence ◽  
Gm Food ◽  
Gm Foods ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Chinese Public

Abstracts This paper analyzes the awareness and attitudes of the Chinese public toward genetically modified (GM) foods with different types of labeling and evaluates the impact of public confidence in the government management of GM food labeling has on their attitude. From 2015 to 2016, we conducted a series of surveys to collect data from 1730 respondents, which included consumers, farmers, media, and local agricultural officials in agricultural departments. The results show ~60% of the Chinese public do not know that they usually consume or purchase GM products or products containing GM ingredients. Nearly 80% of the Chinese public are accepting foods labeled as not containing GM ingredients, 57% are accepting foods without labeling, and ~40% are accepting GM-labeled foods. The respondents with a lack of confidence in the government are less likely to embrace GM foods. Those that are more aware of GM products are more likely to accept GM labeled foods. The group having the most positive attitude toward GM-labeled foods is the media, followed by agricultural officials, while the group having the most negative attitude toward GM labeled foods is farmers. Our findings provide an empirical basis to inform GM food labeling policy discussions and possible revisions, which may promote the development of GM foods in China.

scholarly journals The informational and signaling impacts of labels: experimental evidence from India on GM foods

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 701-722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sangeeta Bansal ◽  
Sujoy Chakravarty ◽  
Bharat Ramaswami
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Behavior ◽  
Lower Bound ◽  
Experimental Evidence ◽  
The Other ◽  
Food Aversion ◽  
Gm Food ◽  
Gm Foods ◽  
Change Behavior ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Source Of Information

AbstractMuch of the debate between the European and US positions about the labeling of genetically modified (GM) foods has been whether consumers perceive labels as a source of information or as a signal to change behavior. In this paper we provide an experimental framework for examining these roles of information and signaling. While previous studies have focused on the impact of labels on consumer behavior, our interest is also in what happens prior to the expression of aversion to GM-labeled foods. In particular, the experiment design allows the researcher to estimate a lower bound of the informational impact of labels on GM food aversion. The other novel feature of this paper is that, unlike earlier studies, it uses subjects from a developing country.

A structural equation model for the analysis of genetically modified foods consumption

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 706-716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pasquale Sarnacchiaro ◽  
Roberta Di Gennaro ◽  
Raffaela Palma
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Structural Equation Model ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gm Food ◽  
Gm Foods ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The spread of genetically modified (GM) foodstuffs is related to consumer scepticism in Europe, and particularly in Italy. Consumer scepticism in turn depends on the low level of public knowledge about the health consequences, in terms of risks and benefits, of consuming these GM foods. This paper aims, first and foremost, to investigate the phenomenon of GM foodstuffs consumption in Italy and, then, to construct a statistical model for analysing the Italian habits regarding this consumption. Furthermore, this model allows us to formalize the origins of behaviour regarding GM foodstuffs consumption and to detect the drivers of their purchase. Design/methodology/approach From January 2009 to May 2009, 1,061 public high school students in 25 randomly selected schools of a metropolitan area (Naples, South Italy) were questioned. More precisely, each student was given a questionnaire regarding, in the first part, school cultural characteristics and, then, awareness and GM food consumption. A Likert scale was used to answer the questions. After collecting data, the authors chose to apply structural equation modelling, as it is one of the general and powerful multivariate analysis technique useful to simultaneously analyse and evaluate multivariate hypotheses. Findings The findings showed that GM food consumption by Italian students depended on the knowledge of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and on the impact of this organisms both on human health and the environment. Therefore, in order to help consumers to choose whether or not to eat GM foods, a standardized evaluation system of human health and environmental consequences produced by GMO and GM foods should be created. In particular, the authors introduced a general framework that could help researchers/users to select and assess a hierarchy of the influence of factors on Italian habits regarding the consumption of GM foodstuffs. Originality/value In this research, the authors propose a structural equation model – full formative measurement model – that allows to define the origins of behaviour towards GM food consumption and to detect the drivers of their purchase. Particularly, the authors showed that GM food consumption depended on the knowledge of GMOs and on the impact of the GMOs on human health and the environment.

Food Safety Security: A new Concept for Enhancing Food Safety Measures

2012 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 216-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Venkatesh Iyengar ◽  
Ibrahim Elmadfa
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Hazard Analysis ◽  
Warning System ◽  
Shared Responsibility ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Strategic Action ◽  
Surveillance Network ◽  
Measurement Systems ◽  
Critical Control Points ◽  
The Impact

The food safety security (FSS) concept is perceived as an early warning system for minimizing food safety (FS) breaches, and it functions in conjunction with existing FS measures. Essentially, the function of FS and FSS measures can be visualized in two parts: (i) the FS preventive measures as actions taken at the stem level, and (ii) the FSS interventions as actions taken at the root level, to enhance the impact of the implemented safety steps. In practice, along with FS, FSS also draws its support from (i) legislative directives and regulatory measures for enforcing verifiable, timely, and effective compliance; (ii) measurement systems in place for sustained quality assurance; and (iii) shared responsibility to ensure cohesion among all the stakeholders namely, policy makers, regulators, food producers, processors and distributors, and consumers. However, the functional framework of FSS differs from that of FS by way of: (i) retooling the vulnerable segments of the preventive features of existing FS measures; (ii) fine-tuning response systems to efficiently preempt the FS breaches; (iii) building a long-term nutrient and toxicant surveillance network based on validated measurement systems functioning in real time; (iv) focusing on crisp, clear, and correct communication that resonates among all the stakeholders; and (v) developing inter-disciplinary human resources to meet ever-increasing FS challenges. Important determinants of FSS include: (i) strengthening international dialogue for refining regulatory reforms and addressing emerging risks; (ii) developing innovative and strategic action points for intervention {in addition to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) procedures]; and (iii) introducing additional science-based tools such as metrology-based measurement systems.

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