Examining Personal and Media Factors Associated with Attitude towards Genetically Modified Foods among University Students in Kunming, China

Abstract

Guided by the theory of reasoned action and media system dependency theory, this study examined attitude towards genetically modified foods (GMF) among university students in Kunming, China, as well as personal and media factors related to such attitude. Data were collected from an online survey with 467 university students across eight universities in Kunming. Results showed that attitude towards GMF were more negative than positive. Moreover, food neophobia and media attention were negatively associated with attitude towards GMF. In contrast, perceived benefit was positively associated with attitude towards GMF. Although the interaction between media dependency and media attention was significant, simple slope analysis confirmed that the interaction slopes were nonsignificant, suggesting that media attention did not moderate the association between media dependency and attitude towards GMF in this study. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

A Systematic Review of New Media Influencing People’s Attitude and Cognition to GMF

“…Suppose a person substantially relies on media to meet his or her requirements. In that case, it indicates that media eventually takes on a larger role and has a greater influence on that person [14]. To put it another way, the higher a person's reliance on media, the greater its impact on changing or modifying his or her attitude and behaviour.…”

“…In contrast, those who saw more GMF benefits are likely to be more positive towards it. Although media dependence is unrelated to GMF attitudes, a high degree of the media focus was associated with GMF attitudes [15]. Therefore, new media is a convenient way for people to get information, but the quality and reliability of the information cannot be promised.…”

“…Transgenic technology is known as "one of the most rapidly applied major technologies in human history". As the name implies, genetically modified food (GMF) is derived from organisms such as plants or animals that genetic materials have been modified in ways that do not occur naturally [1]. For example, tomatoes contain a lot of nutrients needed by humans, but most tomatoes cannot be stored for a long time if they are produced in large quantities, which will cause waste.…”

Online Food Shopping: A Conceptual Analysis for Research Propositions

“…The study is significant because it establishes the underlying consumers' concerns with regards to food safety information, especially for online food products. Compared to other products, consumer preferences and attitudes toward buying food online differs in that the perceived risks and information quality do not play major roles in influencing their buying behavior (Li and Bautista, 2019;Sanchez-Sabate and Sabaté, 2019;Zieliñska et al, 2020). Kim Dang et al (2018) study relies on a cross-sectional study conducted in Hanoi, Vietnam.…”