Public Perception Of Benefits Research Articles

European Perspectives on Public Benefit in Relation to Food: Insights from a Serious Game Approach

There is limited understanding of what constitutes public benefit from the perspective of the public, and none that we are aware of related to food consumer science. The purpose of this study is to contribute towards a better understanding of public benefit as a whole and its connection to food choice, essential to driving progress towards responsible consumption and healthier diets. Public benefit, associated trade-offs and responsible actors were investigated via written questions, and food choice was explored during group discussions using the PlayDecide methodology. Adults (n = 105) were recruited in six European countries (Denmark, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Spain and the UK) and stratified by attained education. Our findings indicate that assumptions should not be made that there is general consensus about what constitutes public benefit, especially with regard to consumer food choice. Group discussions around food-related freedom of choice, education, agency and responsibility suggested that private and public benefit are neither mutually exclusive nor automatically complementary. The serious game approach employed affected a change in participants’ public benefit perceptions, demonstrating its potential to better evaluate the connections between private interests and the common good through meaningful public deliberation.

Do environmental attitudes affect public acceptance of key enabling technologies? Assessing the influence of environmental awareness and trust on public perceptions about nanotechnology

Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) play a crucial role in modern societies due to their substantial contribution to cleaner production, sustainable development, and societal well-being across industrial sectors. However, to prompt the successful deployment of such technologies in diverse societal and market contexts, public acceptance constitutes a crucial requirement. As public knowledge of KETs is often limited, “cognitive shortcuts” – such as attitudes and personal beliefs – play a crucial role in shaping public opinion about enabling technologies. Drawing on the case of nanotechnology, the paper advances that environmental attitudes contribute to shape layman's perceptions about novel enabling technologies. Based on data collected from a survey of Italian citizens, the study investigates the influence of environmental awareness on public perceptions of benefits and risks of nanotechnology. By means of hierarchical regression equations, the study also tests the moderation of public trust in the environmental commitment of societal actors deemed responsible for nanotechnology development – i.e. high-tech companies, governmental agencies and research universities. The results show that environmental awareness positively relates with both perceived benefits and risks of nanotechnology, while the different effects of trust are contingent upon the actor in which trust is put. The contribution of the study point to the role of public trust in shaping perceptions of novel technology: the study's implications for practice thus inform the development of information strategies aimed at supporting the acceptance of KETs among the larger public.

Perceived benefits of parks: the roles of information source exposure and park use

Parks provide many benefits to society: environmental, social and economic, and need investment to continue to provide these benefits. An alternative to self-financing and commercial approaches involves building the public’s perception of park benefits as a foundation for consequent investment by government. However, there is little empirical evidence to demonstrate public perceptions of benefits. We utilised a survey in Australia (n = 1,584) to investigate whether respondents’ perceptions of the benefits of parks are determined by information source and park use. The results suggest that users and non-users of parks who are exposed to a variety of information sources and more frequent use have a higher perception of parks’ benefits. Variety of information source was the primary explanation for positive perceptions of park benefits. In order to maximise public benefit-perceptions, communication between information providers needs to be coordinated and consistently implemented. Depending on the societal-benefit profile required, combining communication strategies with park use, including through tourism, would optimise efforts to build and sustain societal-benefit perceptions. We anticipate that this research will assist in developing park agencies’ confidence in implementing benefit-perception strategies, thereby furthering the public’s support for conservation.

Public Perceptions of Benefits from and Worries over Plant‐Made Industrial Products and Plant‐Made Pharmaceuticals: The Influence of Institutional Trust

AbstractAlthough agricultural biotechnology has been a seminal reference point in risk perception studies, public awareness of their exposure to risk deriving from this new technology has been minimal at best. However, recent events indicate there may be growing public concern as new variations of this technology appear. Understanding what drives perceptions of benefits from the third generation of the agricultural biotechnology and what determines public worries are keys for the future of this technology. To this end, this study analyzes survey data from the midsouth region of the United States to construct four separate regression models of perceived benefits from and worries over plant‐made industrial products and plant‐made pharmaceuticals. Findings suggest that while prior experience with and knowledge about agricultural biotechnology has an impact on perceptions of benefits and worries, trust in farmers plays a highly important role in determining perceptions.