Modifying attitudes about modified foods: Increased knowledge leads to more positive attitudes

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2019.04.012Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Knowledge of GM technology is a unique predictor of GM food attitudes above general science knowledge and demographic controls.

  • The unique predictive value of GM-specific knowledge replicates in the US, the UK, and the Netherlands.

  • Teaching people about the science of GM foods increased positive attitudes.

  • Teaching people about the science of GM foods increased willingness to eat GM products.

  • Teaching people about the science of GM foods lowered perceptions of GM foods as risky.

Abstract

Genetically modified (GM) foods are often met with harsh public opposition, though little research has attempted to understand why this is. The research that does exist has focused on identifying the role of immutable beliefs, such as morality and politics, which are difficult to change. Therefore, research may benefit from identifying mutable predictors of science rejection—predictors which can be modified through interventions—so efforts can be made to increase public support for scientific advancements. Here we present four studies in which we investigate a lack of domain-specific science literacy—literacy of GM technology—as a strong and unique predictor of GM food skepticism. Results from Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated that knowledge of GM technology is a unique predictor of GM food attitudes above general science knowledge and demographic controls. Study 3 (preregistered) demonstrates that the unique predictive value of GM-specific knowledge replicates in the US, the UK, and the Netherlands. In Study 4, we sought to overcome this lack of knowledge by teaching people the basic science behind GM technology using a five-week, longitudinal experimental design. Results showed that learning about the science behind GM technology leads to more positive explicit attitudes towards GM foods, greater willingness to eat GM products, and lowered perceptions of GM foods as risky. Thus, the present results provide some support for the deficit model of science attitudes within the context of GM foods. These results also provide a relatively simple mold for future interventions to overcome GM skepticism, suggesting that researchers and scientists may wish to focus on communicating the basic science behind GM technology and increasing science literacy.

Section snippets

Modifying attitudes about modified foods: increased knowledge leads to more positive attitudes

Since their introduction to the commercial market in the 1990s, genetically modified (GM) foods have received vitriolic opposition from the public based on concerns about possible environmental and health risks. Several campaigns have sought to mandate the labeling of GM foods in the US (Charles, 2014; Mayer, 2015; Nep & O'Doherty, 2013), and GM foods are already highly regulated in many European markets (e.g., Devos et al., 2006; Frewer, van der Lans, Fischer, Reinders, Menozzi, Zhang … &

Participants

Data were obtained from the General Social Survey 2006cohort (Smith, Marsden, Hout, & Kim, 2017). A total of 778 individuals (351 male) responded to the relevant question set. Participants were 76% white, 16% black, 9% other, with an average age of 46.43 years (SD = 16.84), and an average of 13.86 years of education (SD = 2.86).

Materials and procedure

GM Foods. The main dependent variable was whether participants reported they would eat GM foods, and they responded on a scale of 1 (don't care if foods have been

Participants

We recruited 747 U.S. participants from university undergraduates (n = 262) and through the Research Match health survey recruitment system (n = 485). For simplicity, we aggregate these data here, though results did not differ when the samples were analyzed individually. The survey was titled “Opinions about health topics.” We excluded 66 participants for failing at least one attention check question (e.g. select agree and continue on; Maniaci & Rogge, 2014). An additional four were excluded

Study 3

Study 2 highlighted the importance of domain-specific GM knowledge in relation to attitudes, but sampled from US samples only, who may have a different relationship with GM knowledge as compared to individuals from other, for example European, countries. Study 3 was therefore conducted as a multiple-country replication of Study 2, following the same procedures and using the same materials as Study 2. Sample size was estimated based on underestimating the effects observed in Study 2: to observe

Study 4

The previous studies were correlational but were designed as a foundation for understanding how to change attitudes; thus, a final study used an experimental design to inform a causal understanding of the relation between GM-specific knowledge and GM attitudes. Thus, Study 4 involved a longitudinal, five-part online survey in which participants completed surveys weekly for five weeks. Though the study was not preregistered, the procedures and analysis plan were determined a priori. There were

General discussion

Our data suggest that a lack of domain-specific knowledge about GM technology is a strong and unique predictor of attitudes towards GM foods. Crucially, GM-specific knowledge predicts attitudes towards GM food above and beyond general science knowledge and relevant demographic controls, supporting the hypotheses. Further, the unique predictive value of GM knowledge was in evidence across three countries: the U.S., the U.K., and the Netherlands (Study 3). Finally, results from a longitudinal

Ethics approval

All studies were approved or declared exempt by the ethics boards at the respective universities.

Data availability

Data and materials are available at the following Open Science Framework link: https://osf.io/4tuhb/?view_only=34a9e09f40cf49c3917e346c8391159f.

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