Understanding public perceptions of genetically modified organisms in China: The role that heuristics play during digital media exposure

Abstract

This study explicates the role that heuristics play in influencing Chinese public perceptions of genetically modified organisms (GMO) when they are exposed to digital media. According to the cognitive–affective continuum of heuristics, trust in scientists and negative emotions about GMOs are a cognition-oriented heuristic and an affect heuristic, respectively. The statistical results of an online survey (N = 414) demonstrated that trust in scientists fully mediated digital media exposure and perceptions of the risks versus benefits of GMOs. In addition, negative emotions moderated the full mediation effect, showing that the indirect effect was stronger in individuals with low levels of negative emotions than in those with high levels of negative emotions. The mediating role of trust in scientists and the moderating role of negative emotions, the two heuristics applied in this study, indicated that when negative emotions were weak, laypeople were more likely to rely on scientists to judge the consequences of GMOs than systematically process the associated information by themselves. The findings have implications for reconsidering the importance of heuristic processing in building reasonable public perceptions of risk-laden technologies through the digital environment.

Keywords:

• digital media exposure
• trust in scientists
• negative emotions
• perceptions of risks versus benefits
• genetically modified organisms

Notes

Acknowledgments

The author would like to sincerely thank the reviewers for their generous efforts in reviewing the manuscript and providing constructive comments, which improved this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 For details of the debate on the safety of GMOs in China, please visit http://www.cssn.cn/zm/201401/t20140110_940277.shtml.

2 For example, Guokr.com set up a special program called the Center for Popular Science about GMOs. Scientists involved in this program attempt to use straightforward and popular communication to refute rumors about the hazards of GMOs and reassure the public about the safety of state-sponsored GMOs. Similarly, several scientists who are active on Zhihu.com answer users’ questions and lower their concerns about the safety of GMOs.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Social Science Foundation of the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China (Grant number: 18YJC860015).

Notes on contributors

Qing Huang

Dr. Qing Huang is an assistant professor at the College of Media and International Culture, Public Diplomacy and Strategic Communication Research Center, Zhejiang University, China. Her research interests are focused on the interplay between digital media use, public risk perception, and social trust related to environmental problems, technology development, and health issues in transitional China. Her work has been published in refereed journals, such as the Chinese Journal of Communication, Telematics and Informatics, International Journal of Communication, and Public Relations Review.