First impressions and food technology neophobia: Examining the role of visual information for consumer evaluations of cultivated meat

Abstract

Discussions and images of cultivated meat are increasingly common in popular media, often stressing highly technical aspects. Despite growing research on cultivated meat, the importance of information provision in specific, little is known about the influence of images on consumer attitudes and evaluations. Using a representative sample of 727 potential consumers in Germany, the current research employed an experimental survey with a between-subjects design, where participants received information about cultivated meat and its prospective benefits together with (a) no images, (b) images presenting meat in a more familiar form, or (c) images with a laboratory focus. Logistic quantile regression is employed for the first time to assess how determinants of consumer evaluations vary depending on one’s intention to try and consume cultivated meat. The results underscore the key role of food technology neophobia as a determinant of consumer evaluations. Moreover, our findings help to clarify why individuals are likely to accept (and not just reject) cultivated meat as well as suggest the potential for misleading inferences when relying on linear regression for analyzing issues of consumer acceptance, behavioral intentions, and the like.