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Abstract
While qualitative surveys regarding consumers’ attitudes about gene technologies
and their application to food production are plentiful, quantitative studies are less
so. The present paper reports choice modelling methods to examine the conditions
under which Australian consumers are willing to purchase genetically modified
(GM) foods, if at all, and examines those preferences within the context of the food
system as a whole. This allows us to compare consumer attitudes towards gene
technology to consumer preferences for other features of the food they consume.
The results of the choice modelling analysis suggest consumers require a discount
on their weekly food bill before they will purchase GM food. Gene technology
using animal as well as plant genes was found to be more objectionable to respondents
than that using plant genes alone, especially among women. Age seems to
affect the preferences for a certain type of food, with older people generally more
accepting of the use of gene technology