A comparison of EU and US consumers’ willingness to pay for gene-edited food: Evidence from apples

Stéphan Marette (), Anne-Célia Disdier and John Beghin ()

PSE-Ecole d'économie de Paris (Postprint) from HAL

Abstract: We compare consumers' attitude towards and willingness to pay (WTP) for gene-edited (GE) apples in Europe and the US. Using hypothetical choices in a lab and different technology messages, we estimate WTP of 162 French and 166 US consumers for new apples, which do not brown upon being sliced or cut. Messages center on (i) the social and private benefits of having the new apples, and (ii) possible technologies leading to this new benefit (conventional hybrids, GE, and genetically modified (GMO)). French consumers do not value the innovation and actually discount it when it is generated via biotechnology. US consumers do value the innovation as long as it is not generated by biotechnology. In both countries, the steepest discount is for GMO apples, followed by GE apples. Furthermore, the discounting occurs through "boycott" consumers who dislike biotechnology. However, the discounting is weaker for US consumers compared to French consumers. Favorable attitudes towards sciences and new technology totally offset the discounting of GE apples.

Keywords: willingness to pay; experimental economics; consumer information; hybrids; genetically modified organisms; Willingness to pay; Experimental economics; Consumer information; Hybrid; Genetically modified organisms; Gene editing; Information du consommateur; Hybride; OGM; Economie expériementale; Consentement a payer (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-env
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-03126073v1
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

Published in Appetite, 2021, 159, ⟨10.1016/j.appet.2020.105064⟩

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Related works:
Working Paper: A comparison of EU and US consumers’ willingness to pay for gene-edited food: Evidence from apples (2021)
Working Paper: A Comparison of EU and Us consumers' willingness to pay for gene-edited food: Evidence from apples (2020)
Working Paper: A Comparison of EU and US consumers' willingness to pay for gene-edited food: Evidence from apples (2020)
Working Paper: A Comparison of EU and US consumers' willingness to pay for gene-edited food: Evidence from apples (2020)
Working Paper: A Comparison of EU and US Consumers' Willingness to Pay for Gene-edited Food: Evidence from Apples (2020)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:pseptp:hal-03126073

DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2020.105064

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