Optimistic Bias, Food Safety Cognition, and Consumer Behavior of College Students in Taiwan and Mainland China.

Guan-Yun Wang,Hsiu-Ping Yueh

doi:10.3390/foods9111588

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how optimistic bias, consumption cognition, news attention, information credibility, and social trust affect the purchase intention of food consumption. Data used in this study came from a questionnaire survey conducted in college students in Taipei and Beijing. Respondents in the two cities returned 258 and 268 questionnaires, respectively. Samples were analyzed through structural equation modelling (SEM) to test the model. Results showed that Taiwanese college students did not have optimistic bias but Chinese students did. The models showed that both Taiwanese and Chinese students’ consumption cognition significantly influenced their purchase intention, and news attention significantly influenced only Chinese students’ purchase intention. Model comparison analysis suggested significant differences between the models for Taiwan and mainland China. The results revealed that optimistic bias can be reduced in different social contexts as that of the Taiwan model and the mainland Chinese model found in this study were indeed different. This study also confirmed that people had optimistic bias on food safety issues, based on which recommendations were made to increase public awareness of food safety as well as to improve government’s certification system.

Highlights

FAO/WHO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Health Organization) defined food safety risk management as conducting suitable undertakings, controlling the risk, and protecting public hygiene, and the primary goal of the management of risks associated with food is to protect public health by controlling such risks as effectively as possible through the selection and implementation of appropriate measures [1]
The results revealed that optimistic bias can be reduced in different social contexts as that of the Taiwan model and the mainland Chinese model found in this study were different
This study confirmed that people had optimistic bias on food safety issues, based on which recommendations were made to increase public awareness of food safety as well as to improve government’s certification system

Summary

Introduction

FAO/WHO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Health Organization) defined food safety risk management as conducting suitable undertakings, controlling the risk, and protecting public hygiene, and the primary goal of the management of risks associated with food is to protect public health by controlling such risks as effectively as possible through the selection and implementation of appropriate measures [1]. Effective risk communication to the public may be an important solution to improve people’s health [2]. Food safety is a cross-cutting issue related to human behaviors such as psychology, consumer behavior, and information technology [2,3,4]. The messages conveyed in risk communication can help people decide whether they can adopt some strategies to protect them from risk [2]. In 2014, food safety in Taiwan almost collapsed due to food scandals related to cooking oil containing recycled waste oil and animal feed oil. In 2016, some restaurants in mainland China illegally added opium poppy shell powder to hot pot, causing consumers to develop opiate addictions

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