Han Fei, Zhou Dingyang, Liu Xiaoxia, Cheng Jie, Zhang Qingwen, Shelton Anthony M
Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, P. R. China; Department of Entomology, Cornell University/New York State Agricultural Experiment Station (NYSAES), Geneva, New York, United States of America.
College of Resources Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China.
PLoS One. 2015 Sep 29;10(9):e0139114. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139114. eCollection 2015.
Transgenic Bt cotton has been planted in China since 1997 and, in 2009, biosafety certificates for the commercial production of Bt rice and phytase corn were issued by the Chinese government. The public attitude in China toward agricultural biotechnology and genetically modified (GM) crops and foods has received considerable attention worldwide. We investigated the attitudes of consumers, Bt cotton farmers and scientists in China regarding GM crops and foods and the factors influencing their attitudes. Data were collected using interview surveys of consumer households, farmer households and scientists. A discrete choice approach was used to elicit the purchase intentions of the respondents. Two separate probit models were developed to examine the effect of various factors on the choices of the respondents. Bt cotton farmers had a very positive attitude because Bt cotton provided them with significant economic benefits. Chinese consumers from developed regions had a higher acceptance and willingness to pay for GM foods than consumers in other regions. The positive attitude toward GM foods by the scientific community will help to promote biotechnology in China in the future. Our survey emphasized that educational efforts made by government officials, the media and scientists can facilitate the acceptance of GM technology in China. Further educational efforts will be critical for influencing consumer attitudes and decisions of government agencies in the future. More effective educational efforts by government agencies and public media concerning the scientific facts and safety of GM foods would enhance the acceptance of GM crops in China.
自1997年起，转基因抗虫棉已在中国种植，2009年，中国政府颁发了转基因水稻和植酸酶玉米商业化生产的生物安全证书。中国公众对农业生物技术以及转基因作物和食品的态度受到了全球的广泛关注。我们调查了中国消费者、种植转基因抗虫棉的农民以及科学家对转基因作物和食品的态度，以及影响他们态度的因素。通过对消费者家庭、农户和科学家进行访谈调查来收集数据。采用离散选择法来获取受访者的购买意愿。构建了两个独立的概率模型，以检验各种因素对受访者选择的影响。种植转基因抗虫棉的农民态度非常积极，因为转基因抗虫棉为他们带来了显著的经济效益。来自发达地区的中国消费者比其他地区的消费者对转基因食品有更高的接受度和支付意愿。科学界对转基因食品的积极态度将有助于未来在中国推广生物技术。我们的调查强调，政府官员、媒体和科学家所做的教育工作能够促进中国对转基因技术的接受。未来，进一步的教育工作对于影响消费者态度和政府机构的决策至关重要。政府机构和公共媒体针对转基因食品的科学事实和安全性开展更有效的教育工作，将提高中国对转基因作物的接受度。
