WILLINGESS TO CONSUME GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD IN CHINESE PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Almost after investing 25 years in research and development, China has reached to the decisional stage to either continue or discontinue or at least reduce the introductory speed of the genetically modified (GM) food production. The current study integrates the Benefit-Risk Analysis (BRA) framework and trust to study the consumer willingness to consume GM food. A structured survey conductedin nine major cities of China among 345 qualified samples analyzedthrough structural equational modeling-smart partial least square (SEM-Smart PLS). The statistical results lead to the following conclusions: The proposed psychological-persuasive model highlights the “trust in institutions” holds the least explanatory power while communicating about GM food-related risks in society. In the case of mapping perceived benefits, the trust in technology should be improved; as in the overall view of BRA, the perceived benefits hold less explanatory abilities in contrast to perceived risks. In other words, a secure communication strategy can change the public acceptance trend of GM food in China.