Acceptance of insect-based food in Chile: Evidence from a survey using the entomophagy attitude questionnaire (EAQ)

Abstract

Research interest in the acceptability of insects as food has dramatically grown in recent years. Investigators have studied the antecedents of people willingness to eat whole insects, processed (non-visible) insects, and insect-fed animals as well. Another important topic is the difference between intention to try insect-based foods once, and readiness to adopt these foods in everyday diet. In 2020, the Entomophagy Attitude Questionnaire has been developed as a tool for researchers in this area. It is the only one self-report questionnaire specific to entomophagy, multi-dimensional, and cross-validated in diverse contexts and languages. The current study contributes to further validate this instrument in Spanish, in a novel context such as Chile, and to expand its nomological validity to intention to eat processed insects. In addition, results show that the three components of the EAQ significantly predict participants’ intention to try insect-based foods and, to a lesser extent, intention to add insect-based food in one own’s diet. Limitations of the study, as well as direction for further research are discussed in the paper.