Can scientific literacy reduce purchase avoidance of Fukushima products?

Daisuke Nakanishi (), Kunihiro Yokota and Junichi Igawa
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Daisuke Nakanishi: Hiroshima Shudo University
Kunihiro Yokota: Hiroshima Shudo University
Junichi Igawa: Tohoku Gakuin University

Environment Systems and Decisions, 2023, vol. 43, issue 2, 242-250

Abstract: Abstract This study aimed to explore the effect of scientific literacy on the tendency towards purchase avoidance of foods made in Fukushima due to harmful rumours associated with the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. A web survey was sent to 880 Japanese monitors to determine their attitudes towards the damage caused by untrue rumours, food risks, and media literacy, and to verify whether respondents’ knowledge about radioactive material reduced their intention to purchase products made in Fukushima Prefecture. A factor analysis of all the items of the two literacy scales (i.e. food and media) and food faddism scales revealed three factors: food risk literacy, media literacy, and health care. Multiple regression analysis to investigate the effect of each factor on the intention to purchase, controlling for some demographic variables, revealed that food risk literacy and media literacy promoted purchase avoidance, while knowledge of radioactive material reduced purchase avoidance of Fukushima products.

Keywords: Harmful rumours; Purchase avoidance; Scientific literacy; The Great East Japan Earthquake (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1007/s10669-022-09883-x

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