Cognitive Biases of Consumers’ Risk Perception of Foodborne Diseases in China: Examining Anchoring Effect

Lijie Shan, Shusai Wang, Linhai Wu and Fu-Sheng Tsai
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Lijie Shan: Institute for Food Safety Risk Management, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
Shusai Wang: School of Business, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
Linhai Wu: Institute for Food Safety Risk Management, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
Fu-Sheng Tsai: Department of Business Administration, Cheng Shiu University, Kaohsiung 83347, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 13, 1-14

Abstract: Consumer cognitive biases arise from judgment and decision-making due to their limitations in information processing. As one of the important cognitive biases, the anchoring effect plays a significant role in interfering with consumers’ risk perception. With a stratified random approach, we collected survey data from 375 consumers in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China. Based on these data, this study attempted to analyze the anchoring effect in consumers’ risk perception of foodborne diseases (FBDs) and the differences in their perception before and after intervention in a contrast experiment using the anchoring index and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The results confirm the existence of the proposed anchoring effect. Moreover, the experimenter-provided anchor value, a history of FBD, and familiarity with FBD were found to be important factors influencing this anchoring effect. Therefore, improving consumers’ risk perception of FBD is critical to the long-term prevention of FBD risks by the government and consumers. The government should strengthen active monitoring, publicity, and education about FBD.

Keywords: foodborne disease; risk perception; anchoring effect; cognitive bias; intervention (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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