Public Attitudes on GE Crops and Food Investigated in China

Scientists from China Agricultural University and partners conducted interview surveys of Chinese consumer households, farmer households, and scientists to investigate their attitudes about biotech crops. The results are published in Plos One journal.

To determine the purchase preferences of the respondents, the scientists used a discrete choice approach. They also used two separate probit models to analyze the impact of various factors on the preferences of the respondents.

Results showed that Bt cotton farmers had highly favorable attitude towards the crop because of the economic benefits they obtain from its cultivation. Consumers from developed regions had better acceptance and willingness to pay for GE foods than consumers from other regions. The scientific community also showed positive attitude towards GE food, which will influence the promotion of biotech in China in the future. Furthermore, information drive on biotech conducted by the government, media, and scientists was also shown to be vital in facilitating the acceptance of the technology in the country, as well as in influencing decisions of government agencies regarding biotech crops.

Read the open-access article in Plos One.