Purchase intention towards genetically modified foods: evidence from Chinese consumers

Abstract

In recent years, a significant amount of research has focused on the analysis of consumer acceptances for the new technologies in food production and processing, such as genetic-modification technology in food products. China has been playing a key role in the commercialisation of genetic-modification (GM) foods due to its large market, which calls for better understanding of purchase intention for GM foods. We employ questionnaires to capture purchase intention by a nationwide telephone survey. Exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modelling are empirically used to estimate the behavioural model of purchase intention. Our results show that consumers' purchase intention towards GM foods is complex processes resulted from a specific cumulative interaction of attitudes, risk and benefit perceptions, trust and knowledge. Our results contribute to the varied behavioural process related to gene technology across countries, and for the adoption of new food technologies in China.