생명공학기술 사용에 대한 소비자의 위험인지가 우유소비에 미치는 영향분석: 여성과 남성의 위험인지 및 소비행위 비교분석

Consumer Risk Perceptions and Milk Consumption associated with Food-Related Biotechnology: Exploring Gender Differences

The purposes of this study were to determine what factors influence risk perceptions of females and males for milk produced using food-related biotechnology, to test whether risk perceptions or other factors influence self-protection actions and to estimate milk demand response in light of self-protection actions and other economic and demographic factors. The expected utility model was applied to explain the way consumers would take self-protection actions regarding risk perceptions and to drive milk demand. Telephone interviews were conducted and the data were collected from households(females=1,029, males=437) nationwide in the U.S. And the data were analyzed by Heckman two-step method using the software package LIMDEP. Risk perceptions were found to be influenced not by demographic factors but by outrage factors as well as attitudinal factors in both females and males, although some factors were different. In addition, risk perceptions and labeling availability were found to significantly influence self-protection actions in both groups. Furthermore, as an important concern in this study, self-protection action was found to significantly influence milk demand in only male group, implying a consistent behavior of males. Also milk price and household size were found to significantly influence milk demand in both groups. In fact, the results did demonstrate that labeling availability significantly influenced self-protection actions. That is, in markets where labeled laternatives were present, concerned consumers were more likely to self protect by substituting to these products. A policy implication of this result is that labeling food products produced using biotechnology enhances consumer choice. Hence, consumer could express a more accurate demand response and reduce the perceived food safety risk. Furthermore, education for females might be necessary to have a consistent behavior because self-protection action did not significantly influence female's milk demand, though they have greater risk perceptions than males have.