Public Understanding of Science · 2019 · 52 citations · 53 references
Social SciencesFood SciencePsychologyGenetic EngineeringNature Of ScienceScience CommunicationFood Representation In MediaMedia EffectsPublic Engagement With SciencePublic Perceptions Of SciencePublic Understanding Of ScienceScientific KnowledgeAttentionConsumer Attitudes Toward FoodMedia AttentionModerating EffectsPublic Acceptance Of SciencePublic Attitudes Toward SciencePublic Understanding Of BiotechnologyScientific Attitudes
The impact of knowledge on public attitudes toward scientific issues remains unclear, due in part to ill-defined differences in how research designs conceptualize knowledge. Using genetically modified foods as a framework, we explore the impacts of perceived familiarity and factual knowledge, and the moderating roles of media attention and a food-specific attitudinal variable (food consciousness), in shaping these relationships. Based on the differential effects on "negative attitudes" toward genetically modified foods, we provide further evidence that the measures of knowledge are separate concepts and argue against a one-dimensional view of scientific knowledge. We discuss implications for understanding the relationship between knowledge and science attitudes.
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