Association of Internet Use with Attitudes Toward Food Safety in China: A Cross-Sectional Study

Jiaping Zhang, Zhiyong Cai, Mingwang Cheng, Huirong Zhang, Heng Zhang and Zhongkun Zhu
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Jiaping Zhang: School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Zhiyong Cai: Commission of Student Affairs, Nanjing Audit University, Nanjing 211815, China
Mingwang Cheng: School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Huirong Zhang: School of Management and Labor Relations, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08854, USA
Heng Zhang: School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Zhongkun Zhu: College of Economics & Management, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 21, 1-19

Abstract: A growing body of research has shown that people’s attitudes toward food safety is affected by their availability and accessibility to food risk information. In the digital era, the Internet has become the most important channel for information acquisition. However, empirical evidence related to the impact of Internet use on people’s attitudes towards food safety is inadequate. In this study, by employing the Chinese Social Survey for 2013 and 2015, we have investigated the current situation of food safety perceptions and evaluations among Chinese residents and the association between Internet use and individuals’ food safety evaluations. Empirical results indicate that there is a significant negative correlation between Internet use and people’s food safety evaluation in China. Furthermore, heterogeneity analysis shows that Internet use has a stronger negative correlation with food safety evaluation for those lacking rational judgment regarding Internet information. Specifically, the negative correlation between Internet use and food safety evaluations is more obvious among rural residents, young people, and less educated residents. Finally, propensity score matching (PSM) is applied to conduct a robustness check. This paper provides new evidence for studies on the relationship between Internet use and an individuals’ food safety cognition, as well as additional policy enlightenment for food safety risk management in the digital age.

Keywords: food safety; Internet use; food safety perception; food safety evaluation; China (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 (2)

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