Basic biology education in high school and acceptance of genetically modified food in Japan

Abstract

While many types of genetically modified (GM) food have become more available worldwide, the acceptance of GM food continues to be low. To increase this acceptance, various educational interventions have been conducted; however, conflicts remain about the safety and acceptability of GM food among laypeople, experts, and policymakers in several countries. Thus, this study aimed to clarify whether basic biology education influences Japanese people’s acceptance of GM food. We examined this idea by comparing individual experiences of high school biology education based on curriculum and proficiency level. We distributed online questionnaires to 1,594 people in Japan; 1,122 valid responses (70.4%) were obtained. Results showed that the acceptance rates of GM vegetables, fish, and meat were 33.6%, 29.0%, and 29.1%, respectively. Comparing the biology knowledge test scores according to different high school biology education levels (i.e., non-learners, basic, and advanced levels) showed no significant differences between the three age groups (20s, 30s, and 40s), which corresponded to different curricula (p = 0.90); however, there were significant differences between the high school biology education levels (p<0.01). Using logistic regression analysis, we then examined the effect of high school biology education on acceptance of GM food. The results showed no significant differences between different high school biology education levels but significantly lower acceptance by the 30s and 40s groups compared with the 20s group (p<0.05). This suggests that basic biology education alone is not sufficient to change people’s attitudes toward GM foods. These generational differences suggest factors other than high school biology curriculum affect different generations’ acceptance of GM foods. Overall, high school biology education did not directly affect acceptance of GM foods, although those who received a higher level of education had an increased knowledge of GM foods.

Willingness of Japanese people in their 20s, 30s and 40s to pay for genetically modified foods

“…The data used in this study was based on the study that examined the effect of basic biology education in high school on Japanese people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s [7]. The online questionnaire survey was conducted from March to April 2016 by Survey Research Center Co., Ltd., a private research company with a database of Japanese consumers.…”

“…The discount rates increased by about 10% for each age group. This may be related to the social experiences of each age group, especially in terms of family roles, marriage, and childbearing, and the different timing and duration of exposure, since people in their 40s were adults when GM foods first appeared, while those in their 20s were children [7].…”

“…The data used in this study was based on the study that examined the effect of basic biology education in high school on Japanese people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s [7]. The online…”

“…Therefore, the WTP values of GM animal foods were lower than GM plant foods and ornamental products.Various types of genetically modified (GM) food have been developed and introduced in the market in the last few decades [1]. However, investigations have shown that the public acceptance of GM food has not increased worldwide, especially in European countries and Japan [2][3][4][5][6][7].GM techniques are applied to vegetables and animals [1]; therefore, it is imminent that these GM foods will come on the market. In Japan, despite people's low acceptance, the Japanese government has approved several import crops for food, feed, and processing [1,8].Since individual preferences for GM foods may differ based on applications [9], it is important to know people's acceptance of various types of GM foods and their willingnessto-pay (WTP) for GM foods in the market.…”

“…Various types of genetically modified (GM) food have been developed and introduced in the market in the last few decades [1]. However, investigations have shown that the public acceptance of GM food has not increased worldwide, especially in European countries and Japan [2][3][4][5][6][7].…”