Misconceptions Still Drive Citizens’ Scepticism Towards Biotechnologically Produced Food

Abstract

Given the invisible complexities of new food technologies, citizens oftentimes rely on the media and heuristics to form their judgments. Thus, citizens are at risk of believing in misconceptions that undermine technology acceptance and consequently hinder innovative solutions to global problems. The present study examined whether agreeing with widely spread misconceptions about biotechnologically produced food (BTF) predicts more negative attitudes among citizens. Three common misconceptions were identified: BTF is believed to be (a) unhealthy and unsafe, (b) unsustainable, and (c) unnatural - despite scientific consensus that BTF are not worse than conventional food. Descriptive statistics of a pre-registered, large-scale online-survey ( N = 2,925) conducted in November 2022 revealed that misconceptions are still widely spread. Multiple block-wise linear regression analysis showed that believing in misconceptions plays a dominant role in citizens’ attitudes about such innovative technologies and therefore contribute to public skepticism. Science communicators should develop diligent communication strategies to address these misconceptions, as reducing them would enable more people to participate in a well-prepared fashion in discourses about how BTF can be integrated in future governance frameworks that foster sustainable, socially fair food supply and consumption.