Consumer perceptions of nanotechnology · 2020-07-16 · Nanotechnology Application conventional...
Transcript of Consumer perceptions of nanotechnology · 2020-07-16 · Nanotechnology Application conventional...
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Consumer perceptions of nanotechnology
STOA Workshop: The Big Future of Nanotechnology in Medicine
25-06-2020
Dr. Roxanne van Giesen
CentERdata
Independent research institute located in the Netherlands, at the Tilburg University campus
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Consumer research @ CentERdata
Financial decision making/
consumer protection
Sustainability
1. Understanding consumer behaviour - motives, barriers, problems
2. Changing consumer behaviour - often through (adjustments in) information provision
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Research team
dr. Arnout
Fischer
Wageningen
University
dr. Roxanne
van Giesen
CentERdata
Prof. dr. ir.
Hans van Trijp
Wageningen
University
Research funded by NanoNextNL, a micro and nanotechnology
innovation consortium of the Government of the Netherlands and 130
partners from academia and industry. More information on
www.nanonextnl.nl
A promising technology, but what does society think?
• Society can embrace or reject a new technology.
• Public resistance/rejection might happen: see genetic modification, biotechnology and nuclear energy…
• Certain nanotechnology applications might run into similar risks.
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Currall et al., 2006; Einsiedel & Goldenberg, 2004; Frewer et al., 2011; Gupta et al., 2012; Siegrist et al., 2008
Consumer response is important
• Society can embrace or reject a new technology.
• Key challenges:
• lack of knowledge
• high level of uncertainty: what are the risks and benefits?
• Very important to connect to target audience to make it succeed.
• Consumer response significantly influences the development of nanotechnology.
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Fleischer et al., 2012
Consumer opinion
• Forming an opinion (or attitude) about something where you lack knowledge about is difficult.
• How do consumers do this?
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Attitudes
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van Giesen., 2015
Attitudes
• Summary evaluations
• Multi-facetted: multiple attributes involved
• Based in affect or cognition
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Evans et al. (2008)
Attitudes familiar things
Familiar things:
– Established knowledge base.
Expressing attitudes is straightforward:
– Relevant affective & cognitive
info available.
– Fast and easy evaluation..
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Edwards, 1990; Plessner et al., 2008
What if something is unfamiliar? (like nanotech)
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Van Overwalle et al. (2005).
Clore & Huntsinger (2007)
Unfamiliar nanotechnology
• Lack of knowledge
• Evaluations need to be constructed on the spot
• In such low information situations, affect experienced at the moment of evaluation plays an important role.
• With increased knowledge, it will become easier to integrate information and connect it in already existing knowledge structures less affective
response.
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Reisch et al., 2011; van Giesen et al. 2018; Pidgeon et al., 2011; Schwarz, 2007; Loewenstein et al., 2001.
Research question and method
• RQ: to what extent does the relative influence of affect and cognition on overall attitude changes over time for nanotechnology and conventional technologies?
• Nanotechnology and similar conventional applications: description of the technology.
• Longitudinal survey (3 times) with 856 consumers.
• Consumer opinions: affective, cognitive, overall evaluations.24-6-2020
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Applications
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Food Water
Application Nanotechnology
Application conventional
Application Nanotechnology
Application conventional
Nano food additives
Food additives Water purification nano-membrane
Water purification sand filtration
Nano Supplements
Supplements Water monitoring nano-sensor
Water monitoring
Medicine Energy
Application Nanotechnology
Application conventional
Application Nanotechnology
Application conventional
Lab-on-a-chip Medical home test Nano-solar cell Solar cell
Nano medicine Medicine Nano battery Battery
All descriptions of the applications were checked by an expert in Molecular biology, Risk assessment, Food safety. In four pilot studies the scenarios were further improved.
Knowledge
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Subjective knowledge remains low.
More than 2/3 of respondents have heard of nanotechnology
Intensity graph for media attention to nanotechnology in NL, specified per news source
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Nanotechnology vs. conventional applications
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Water/food
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• Applications closer to the body (e.g. water/food-related) are more likely to raise societal concern, making rejection more likely.
See also: Steenis et al. (2016).
Water filter: more positive attitudes towards conventional applicationsT1: p = .013; T2: p < .001; T3: p = .002.
Food additive: more positive attitudes towards conventional applicationsT1: ns; T2: p = .020; T3: p= .027.
Medicine
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• Benefits of nanotechnology mainly expected to occur in relation to medicines and health.
See also: Boholm & Larsson, 2019; Frewer, 2017.
Medicine: no differences in attitudes between nano & conventional applicationsT1: p = .363; T2: p = .868; T3: p = .511.
Medical test: T1 & T2: no differences in attitudes between nano & conventional applications; T1: p = .087; T2: p = .909; T3: attitudes nanotechnology application slightly more positive!T3: p = .039.
Estimated model
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Affect Overall attitude
Estimated model
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Evaluations
• Conventional technology:
– No change over time in reliance on affect or cognition.
• Nanotechnology applications T1 (perceived as unfamiliar):
– Default is affect.
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Evaluations over time
• Nanotechnology, over time:
– Affect relatively less important.
– Cognition more important (mainly T2).
• Over time, with growing knowledge/ repeated exposure, reliance on affect decreases and on cognition increases somewhat.
• Attitudes are however not stable yet. This picture has not changed during the past years. This makes it difficult to predict consumer behaviour.24-6-2020
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Conclusions and implications I
• Nanotechnology is promising, but also abstract and complex (we cannot see it).
• Consumer perception is crucial to avoid public backlash.
• For unfamiliar nanotechnology applications people often rely on affect.
• Communication should therefore be more affective in nature.
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Conclusions and implications II
• At the same time it is important to contribute to a factual knowledge base.
• Provide information that connects to consumers’ existing knowledge structures.
• It then becomes easier to integrate the unfamiliar nanotechnology application in consumers’ current knowledge structures.
• Emphasize the usefulness of nanotechnology applications in consumers’ daily life (make it less scary).
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Relevant publications
Giesen, R.I. van, Fischer, A.R.H., Trijp, J.C.M., van (2018). Changes over time in the influence of affect and cognition on consumer attitude formation toward nanotechnology: A longitudinal survey study. Public Understanding of Science, 27 (2), 168-164. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662516661292
Giesen, R.I. van, Fischer, A.R.H., Dijk, H. van & Trijp, J.C.M. van. Affect and cognition in attitude formation toward (un)familiar attitude objects (2015). PlosOne. Doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141790
Giesen, R.I. van (2015). Affect and cognition in attitude formation towards familiar and unfamiliar attitude objects: The case of nanotechnology. Doctoral thesis. Ridderkerk: Ridderprint BV. Available for download via: https://edepot.wur.nl/345552
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Thanks for your attention!
More info:
E-mail: [email protected]
CentERdata/data collection using the LISS panel, see: www.centerdata.nl