Public attitudes to GM foods

Nov 2009 |

About this study

Recent research conducted by NatCen shows that the public's attitude to genetically modified (GM) food is complex and unpredictable.

You can find out more about the findings from the report here or use the download full report button at the bottom of the page.

Some key findings include:

Understanding and interest in GM food varied.

People weighed the risks and benefits of GM food differently. This depended on their underlying attitudes to food and food production and science and technology.

Personal circumstances also affected a person's attitude to GM foods.

People's desire for more information varied, but people did feel they lacked knowledge about the extent to which GM food is available, and how labelling and regulation of GM food works.

Transparency and consumer choice were important.

Who commissioned this research?

This research was commissioned by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Potential policy impact

The Government has asked the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to find out about public attitudes to genetically modified (GM) foods. At the moment GM foods aren't widely available in the UK, but recently there has been renewed policy interest.

NatCen's report has been presented to the FSA's GM Dialogue Steering Group. This group are responsible for conducting the consumer research into GM foods on behalf of the Government.

Methods

We conducted qualitative research with a group of people who had already answered questions on food technology when they took part in the British Social Attitudes Survey. This meant that we could sample people according to their views on GM food and get a diverse range of opinions on the subject.

The research included three stages, which were:

Stage 1 - 30 in-depth interviews with BSA survey respondents in two geographical areas

Stage 2 - two deliberative workshops with in-depth interview participants, one in each area

Stage 3 - six follow-up telephone interviews with six workshop participants