School of International and Public Affairs, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Sep 5;15(9):1935. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15091935.
Examining the variances in the assessments of risk, as perceived by residents, facilitates the development of appropriate risk information communication strategies. This paper aims to identify the effects of information source patterns on perceived food safety risks based on demographic factors. A national survey was conducted to examine, by means of multiple regression analysis, the relationship between the public's perceived risks, demographic factors and information access. The study finds that residents' preferences for information sources have been empirically proven to significantly affect their perceptions of food safety. We also find that more educated young urban dwellers, as well as those without cohabitation experience, tend to perceive a higher level of risk with respect to food safety. In contrast to our expectations, gender, family income and family size are not significantly correlated with the perception of food safety risk. The findings help to explain residents' attitudes toward food safety administration and reactions to food hazards in the Chinese context. It is recommended that the governing authorities strengthen their communication capacities using modern communication media and make full use of traditional and face-to-face communications with respect to regulations.
研究居民对风险评估的差异，有助于制定适当的风险信息沟通策略。本文旨在根据人口统计学因素，确定信息源模式对感知食品安全风险的影响。通过多元回归分析，进行了一项全国性调查，以检验公众对食品安全风险的感知与人口统计学因素和信息获取之间的关系。研究发现，居民对信息源的偏好已被经验证明会显著影响他们对食品安全的感知。我们还发现，受教育程度较高的年轻城市居民以及没有同居经验的居民，往往对食品安全风险的感知程度更高。与我们的预期相反，性别、家庭收入和家庭规模与食品安全风险感知之间没有显著相关性。这些发现有助于解释中国居民对食品安全管理的态度以及对食品安全危害的反应。建议主管部门利用现代传播媒体加强沟通能力，并充分利用传统和面对面的沟通方式来传达法规。
