公众对转基因技术的态度形成:基于文献的理论框架梳理

How Public’s Attitudes toward Genetic Modification Technologies are Formed? A Literature-based Theoretical Framework

转基因议题是我国近年来经久不衰的社会热点议题,也是过去二十年世界范围内受到持续关注的科学传播研究选题之一。在各种有关转基因的科学传播和风险传播研究中,如何理解公众对转基因的态度形成,是其中的核心关切之一,且累积了数量可观的分析框架、概念工具和研究发现。然而,由于不同的经验研究是在不同的社会和时代环境下展开的,而转基因议题又是在特定社会的文化和媒介环境中被人们感知和理解的,这使得这些研究无论是分析框架的选择、关键概念的界定还是具体的研究发现等,彼此之间都呈现出诸多的差异,亟须进行系统的梳理和整合。本文即就公众对转基因技术的态度形成机制所进行的理论和文献梳理。我们以转基因科学传播相关文献为基础,综合其他争议性科技的风险传播研究,提出了一个包含社会人口学、认知、心理记录、体验和社会文化五大因素的综合性分析框架,来总结迄今为止人们对转基因技术的态度形成机理的理论认识,探讨现有科学传播理论模型可能蕴含的内在缺陷及面临的挑战。本文认为,基于公众细分的科学传播研究取向,或将是今后此类研究走向深入并具有科普实践指导价值的关键。

The issue of genetically modified organisms(GMOs)has become a long-lasting social issue in Chinese society and has been a matter of intensifying interest in the global science communication community over the past two decades.The formation of public attitudes toward GMOs has received considerable scholarly attention both from science and risk communication,in which a number of analytical frameworks,conceptual apparatus,and research findings have been accumulated.Yet,no systematic conclusions can be drawn from the existing empirical evidence,given that empirical investigations have been carried out within differential social-historical contexts and that public perception and understanding of GMO issues vary in terms of sociocultural environment as well as media ecology.Against this background,advancing a detailed and systematic understanding of the factors and their potential mechanisms that drive and shape public attitudes toward GMO is therefore a non-trivial task,which is exactly the purpose of the current research.By bringing together the published evidence on determinants of attitudes regarding GMO and some other relevant controversial technologies,this study advances a five-dimensional comprehensive analytical framework,in which attitudes are co-shaped by socio-demographic,cognitive,psychographic,experiential,and socio-cultural factors.In light of this framework,the inherent vice of the existing theoretical models in the realm of science communication are further discussed.Moreover,this study concludes that the segmentation study is a promising way of promoting science communication advancement and practicality.