Towards a More Holistic Understanding of American Support for Genetically Modified Crops: An Examination of Influential Factors Using a Binomial Dependent Variable

Faass Josephine and Michael Lahr ()

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: This paper is an investigation into the relative importance of a wide variety of factors in influencing whether members of the American public support or oppose the use of biotechnology in agriculture and food production. To accomplish this end, as well as to facilitate the examination of a large number of independent variables simultaneously, several statistical methods, including factor analyses, instrumental variables analysis, and probit and logistic regressions were performed. It was determined that people’s perceptions of risks and moral acceptability were important contributors to opinion formation in this regard. The effects of expected benefits, feelings of trust in information, and knowledge about biotechnology and genetics, were also investigated and found to exert varying levels of influence depending on the identity of the expected beneficiary or information source, as well as the kind of knowledge under consideration. The roles of religious and political party affiliation were also examined and determined to be significant.

Keywords: genetically modified foods; biotechnology; public opinion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H0 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007-02-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr, nep-env and nep-knm
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pra:mprapa:6124

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