信息干预可以减少消费者转基因食品客观认知扭曲吗--基于行为实验的证据

Does Information Intervention Reduce Distortions of Perception about GM Foods for Chinese Consumers?--Evidence from a Behavior Experiment

社会群体在信息传递中发挥着重要作用,伴随新兴网络群体的发展,政府风险交流的对象不仅仅在于个体,而可能是一个群体。针对中国的现实信息情境,本文基于社会影响理论视角,通过设定现场行为实验情景,探讨了社会影响对消费者转基因食品客观认知水平的作用机制和影响显著性。研究表明,科学知识普及比同伴群体更有利于改善消费者转基因食品客观认知,同伴信息并未在减少消费者客观认知扭曲方面呈现积极作用,但科普信息与消费者客观认知水平呈现显著正向关系。因此,建立健全科学家及权威机构的科普保护机制,并进行系统性、全局性、长期性的科学知识普及,有利于为公众提供咨询反馈等风险交流通道提高公众科学素质,降低因信息不对称导致舆情危机而产生的社会成本。

Social groups play a more and more important role in information transmission with the development of emerging network groups,the target of risk communication is not only individuals but also a group.Given the realistic information situation in China,this paper analyzes the impact of information intervention from specific social groups on Chinese consumers’perceptions of Genetically Modified(GM)foods by setting a behavior experiment.The results show that there is no statistically significant effect of the information from social groups on changing consumers’objective perceptions,but information from science popularization has a significantly positive effect on it.This implies that it still be more to rely on professionals and authoritative institutions for the systematic,global,and long-term popularization of scientific knowledge and provide consulting feedback to the public,while the government guarantees the safety of emerging bio-engineered foods through scientific safety evaluation and the right to know for consumers.Meanwhile,risk communication could be kept for government to reduce the social cost of public opinion crisis caused by information asymmetry.