Cultural Worldview and Rural Consumer Preferences for Genetically Modified Foods

Nathan P. Kemper ()
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Nathan P. Kemper: Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-16

Abstract: The consumer acceptance of genetically modified (GM) foods varies widely based on personal values and social context. This study investigates how cultural worldviews—measured through the Individualism–Communitarianism and Hierarchical–Egalitarianism dimensions—affect willingness to pay (WTP) for food labeling attributes related to GM content. We surveyed 932 U.S. primary grocery shoppers and conducted a discrete choice experiment (DCE) with poultry product options. Using a Mixed Logit model and supplemental cognitive data from Query Theory, we find that rural individualists are more accepting of GM-labeled products. At the same time, urban communitarians show a stronger preference for non-GM labels. These results offer insight into how values and thought patterns shape food technology perceptions, with implications for communication and policy.

Keywords: cultural cognition theory; query theory; consumer preferences; genetically modified foods; rural consumers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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