Attitudes towards genetically modified and organic foods.
Finnish students (N=3261) filled out a questionnaire on attitudes towards genetically modified and organic food, plus the rational-experiential inventory, the magical thinking about food and health scale, Schwartz's value survey and the behavioural inhibition scale. In addition, they reported their eating of meat. Structural equation modelling of these measures had greater explanatory power for attitudes towards genetically modified (GM) foods than for attitudes towards organic foods (OF). GM attitudes were best predicted by natural science education and magical food and health beliefs, which mediated the influence of thinking styles. Positive attitudes towards organic food, on the other hand, were more directly related to such individual differences as thinking styles and set of values. The results of the study indicate that OF attitudes are rooted in more fundamental personal attributes than GM attitudes, which are embedded in a more complex but also in a more modifiable network of characteristics.
Saher
Marieke
M
Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 9, 00014 Helsinki, Finland. marieke.saher@helsinke.fi
Lindeman
Marjaana
M
Hursti
Ulla-Kaisa Koivisto
UK
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D030841:Food, Genetically Modified / Q000592:standards*; D058870:Food, Organic; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires