1 - 4 of 4
Number of results to display per page
Search Results
2. Consumers' Evaluations of Genetically Modified Food Messages
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Rumble, Joy N. (author), Ruth, Taylor K. (author), and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The Ohio State University
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019
- Published:
- United States: New Prairie Press
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 7 Document Number: D10235
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Applied Communications
- Journal Title Details:
- 103(1)
- Notes:
- 20 pages., Via online journal., Consumers are concerned about the risks related to genetically modified (GM) food, and there is a need for agricultural communicators and educators to address those concerns. The purpose of this study was to explore Florida residents’ latitudes of acceptance, rejection, and noncommitment toward GM food messages. The findings from this study can be used to guide communication and education campaigns for GM food. An online survey was distributed to a non-probability sample of 500 Florida residents to fulfill the purpose of the study. The messages that most aligned with the respondents’ views toward GM food discussed how potential risks related to human health had not been adequately investigated and that GM food may be riskier to consume compared to traditional food. The messages that most opposed the respondents’ views were that GM food was safe for consumption and that it caused cancer in humans. People whose views most aligned with the message that GM food caused cancer in humans had the largest latitude of rejection, likely due to their extreme attitude, confirmation bias, and ego-involvement. The largest percentage of respondents accepted messages that aligned with their position but expressed noncommitment to messages that opposed their views. This lack of rejection and indication of alignment with messages related to potential risk and uncertainty indicated Florida consumers were unsure about the effects of GM food. Communicators and educators should acknowledge these concerns when delivering information about GM food to enhance the effectiveness of communication with consumers.
3. Influence of Message Theme on Consumer Perceptions of Lab Grown Meat
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Kubakack, Kellie (author), Meyers, Courtney (author), Ford, Hannah (author), Li, Nan (author), and Irlbeck, Hank (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- unknown
- Published:
- United States of America: New Prairie Press
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 204 Document Number: D12437
- Journal Title:
- Journal for Applied Communications
- Journal Title Details:
- Issue 1 (2022)
- Notes:
- 17 pages., Lab grown meat is a new technology being developed as a potential alternative protein source. Although some research has been done about public perception of lab grown meat, no studies to date have observed the effects of message themes on public perception of lab grown meat. The study sought to better understand measures of uncertainty and risk and benefit perceptions after viewing a themed blog post about lab grown meat. Participants were randomly assigned one of three themed blog posts - against lab grown meat, neutral, or support lab grown meat. Perception questions were asked after viewing the blog post, and a total of 238 responses were collected. Results indicated the message theme had a statistically significant effect on risk perception, benefit perception, and intention to consume, but not on message evaluation or measures of uncertainty. Further discussion as well as suggestions for future research are included.
4. The People or the Message: Which is Responsible for Cognitive Conflict?
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Rumble, Joy N. (author), Rockers, Alyssa (author), and Buck, Emily B. (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2021-12-01
- Published:
- United States: American Association for Agricultural Education
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 204 Document Number: D12421
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Agricultural Education
- Journal Title Details:
- Vol. 62 (4)
- Notes:
- 13 pages., While work on agricultural messaging is abundant, the way that audiences form perceptions of messages is not well understood and little research has examined the cognitive effects of image and word associations in an agricultural context. Previous knowledge gap research has shown that socioeconomic status and access to information could be one contributor of perception formation. We propose that these variables could also impact cognitive processing. Therefore, the purpose of this exploratory study was to examine how components of cognitive dissonance and knowledge gap theory apply in the context of a contentious agricultural issue. Data were collected from 1,049 United States’ residents through an online survey with an embedded experimental design. Respondents randomly received one of two image and word association pairings. After viewing the treatment, measures of cognitive conflict, demographics, and desire to learn more were collected. The results showed that the cognitive conflict instrument performed differently in the context of a complex agricultural issue than in prior research. Additionally, the message pairings had a stronger influence on cognitive conflict components than demographic characteristics. Finally, the desire to learn more was impacted by the message treatments. Future research on cognitive conflict and advanced modeling is recommended.