Consumer Attitudes Towards Genetically Modified Foods: Development of a Multidimensional Scale

Abstract

A number of studies have examined consumer attitudes towards the genetic modification of food. This research suggests that consumers develop predispositions across a number of dimensions. However, most studies reported to date have adopted an interview methodology, have used other measures such as attitude towards the brand, or have referred to specific food groups, rather than assess multi-dimensional attitudes towards the issue. Studies using multi-item scales have been rare. There is a need for reliable, valid measurement instruments for assessing consumers’ attitude toward genetic modification issues. This paper describes the development of one such scale. After test-retest reliabilities were obtained on an initial pool of 63 items, a 34-item questionnaire was factor analysed using principal components with varimax rotation. This analysis resulted in a final questionnaire containing 16 items measuring five dimensions. These were: Dangers of genetic modification (four items); Knowledge about genetic modification issues (four items); Trust in media information sources (four items); Labeling of food products (two items); and Trust in food information sources (two items). The subscales were found to have acceptable internal reliability, based on Cronbach’s alpha.