Abstract
Abstract Informed by the notion of spillover effects between two phenomena, this study examines how differences in prior attitudes would influence the relationships posited by the influence of presumed media influence (IPMI) model. Specifically, this study examines how pre-existing favorable and unfavorable attitudes toward genetically modified (GM) food are associated with audiences’ intention to consume nano-enabled food. The results of a nationally representative survey with 1,000 respondents found general support for the IPMI from media attention to behavioral intentions, through attitude and social norms. Further, a multigroup analysis of the IPMI provided evidence for differences in the IPMI effects between the audiences with favorable and unfavorable pre-existing attitudes toward GM food. These results contribute to a stronger theoretical understanding of the IPMI in terms of how pre-existing attitudes toward a preceding food technology can have a spillover effect on how audiences make decisions regarding a newer food technology.
Highlights
The influence of presumed media influence (IPMI; Gunther & Storey, 2003) postulates that media viewers tend to assume that others would pay attention to the same content that they do
The results showed that attitude toward genetically modified (GM) food was significantly and positively correlated with all the variables in the IPMI model
In the overall IPMI, we found that the relationship between attention to benefit messages on nano-enabled food and intention to consume nano-enabled food was mediated by presumed others’ attention to benefit messages on nano-enabled food, attitude toward nano-enabled food, perceived injunctive norms, and perceived subjective norms, but not perceived descriptive norms
Summary
The influence of presumed media influence (IPMI; Gunther & Storey, 2003) postulates that media viewers tend to assume that others would pay attention to the same content that they do. People’s presumptions of media influence on others would guide them to think about others’ thoughts and actions (Gunther, 1998). This would motivate them to adapt by altering their own attitudes and behaviors. The IPMI, a model of indirect media effects, highlights how individuals’ attention to media messages would influence their attitudes and behavioral intentions, as mediated through their presumed others’ attention, attitude, and perceived social norms.
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