A Research in Risk Perception, Communication and Decision-making regarding to Genetically ModifiedFoods in Taiwan in 2003/2004

行政院國家科學委員會專題研究計畫 成果報告

本土社會之基因科技風險文化整合研究-以基因食品為例

(III)

中 華 民 國 93 年 10 月 1 日

Abstract

In light of risk perception and risk communication, this article analyzes the perceptions and interaction relationship between the local public, scientific experts, and the state toward technological risks, e.g. genetically modified organisms (GMO), under the development of global technological competitiveness. This article also points out that “valuing scientific research and neglecting its risk” in a local social system which is continually surrounded with hidden risks would result in combination of mainstream scientific rationality and prominent technological policy resources. A dominant scientific view (system) easily develops and oppresses the opposite opinions from ecological rationality and high discontent of social rationality. As a result, monopoly of scientific rationality and submergence of ecological and social rationality are formed.

This relationship lies in the gap of risk perceptions between the public, the state, and scientific experts: the public highly distrust scientists and specialists; scientists and specialists are dissatisfied with the state for lacking of a risk communication mechanism with the doubt of technological policy being misled or legitimacy of scientific research being deprived; the institutional capacity withers for not actively constructing a risk communication mechanism and social risk assessment. Namely, this article explores how a local social system surrounded with hidden risks devastates trust and accumulates unpredictable technological social consequences.

In order to review and examine the development of high-tech countries and society, this article suggests that a sequence of particular problems in local and less advanced countries should be carefully examined based on an institutional constructed mechanism of risk communication and assessment. Also, active interventions are critical for reshaping the relationship between science, the public, and the nation.

Keywords: trust, technological risk, risk perception, risk communication, risk assessment, scientific expert, technological policy, institutional capacity, delayed high-tech risk society

A Research in Risk Perception, Communication and

Decision-making regarding to Genetically Modified

Foods in Taiwan in 2003/2004

Chou, Kuei-Tien Graduate Institute of National Development, Taiwan University

Perspectives

One research point in this two-year research is to explore a question of social

construction concerning public risk perception of GM foods in Taiwan. The theory is

based on a development process that the contents of public perception, experience,

acceptance or learning of complicatedly development of high-tech products originates

from established social contexts and communication relationships in daily life.

Namely, public risk perception is related to the social constructing process of an

individual in an open social context, which comprises system, communication, and

social learning in a society. As a result, this survey intends to conclude the elements of

the theory mentioned above and design diverse groups of analytical variables

including risk perception, risk information, risk assessment, risk communication, risk

political participation, and risk management. According to these groups of variables,

The meaning of research time lies in continually extending systematic practice

and communication practice of GM foods in local society in recent years. For

example, the principles of voluntary labeling on GM foods began from 2002 in

Taiwan. Also, compulsory labeling on GM foods has begun since 2003. Whether risk

communication and risk perception are generated in the process of systematic practice

is worth exploring. At the same time, the issues of latent social communication and

rationality embedded in delayed high-tech risk society (Chou, 2002) and what risk

perception develops in the practice of the new system (compulsory labeling) should

be further discussed.

In other words, does the delayed and latent risk culture with unilateral

communication in Taiwan regenerate new risk perception and awareness during this

period? Or, does this delayed and latent culture continually generate the original

social logic without any significant change? However, the practice and actions of a

new system and the change of public perception of labeling on daily foods are the

questions the people have to face. Hence, this research tries to explore the contentsof

public risk perception and awareness which is composed of autonomous perspective

and action experience in communication, information, participation, and risk

management policy in the practice of new system. On the one hand, people are slowly

aware or unaware of the change of labeling system. On the other hand, they are

making a risk decision whether to buy GM foods in their private communication,

which is very individualized.

This survey also found out that the public in a local society have developed their

own autonomous perspectives and critique philosophy against risk policy such as

the structure of a latent and delayed risk society. Risk perception constructed based on

this perspective and philosophy shows distrust for society and the government. This

set of action philosophy which is very individualized, diffusive, and immature is

repeatedly constructed in a society to form a collective risk discourse. Furthermore, it

becomes the origin of distrust in complex genetic science/technology. Other

technological and social areas such as SARS and Environmental Impact Assessment

could also be influenced.

Experiential Analysis

In light of the procedures of new labeling system and practice development, this

study preliminarily analyzed public risk perception in recent two years. The telephone

survey was from April 21st to 25th in 2003 and from March 29th to April 8th in 2004. Each contains 1702 valid cases in 2003 and 1572 valid cases in 2004 and interval

errors are 3.5% in 2003 and 3.36% in 2004. The content of questionnaire consists of

risk perception, transparency of risk information, risk communication, the awareness

of risk assessment, risk policy participation, risk management, and trust based on the

theory of risk perception.

1. Delayed and Latent Risk Perception (Figure 1)

49.1

50.9

49 50 51

Figure 1 2003 Have you ever heard about GM foods?

Yes No

2004 Have you ever heard about GM foods? 56.5% 43.5% 0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0% Yes No

The first point explored in the survey is that the information concerning GM

foods is not clear to the public. Only 836 cases (49.1%) in 2003 and 888 cases (56.5%)

in 2004 have ever heard about GM foods, and 866 cases (50.9%) in 2003 and 684

cases (43.5%) in 2004 have never heard about GM foods, which do not include the

failed cases such as the interviewee refusing to answer or breaking off the interview.

More than or near half interviewed people have never heard or been aware of this

disputed issue. This result corresponds and extends the inference from this previous

research, which is that the delayed risk social structure in Taiwan regenerates

unawareness and ignorance of the public. This social context of ignorant risk not only

delays the public response to issues of politics, society, or food safety but also

regenerates latent and hidden risk social structure and contexts.

2. Blurred Risk Awareness

Based on the successful cases that have heard and known about GM foods, their

risk perception and knowledge background can be obtained. High as 82.8% of the

public in 2003 indicated that they do not understand the principles or productive

procedures of GM foods (Figure 2), which shows that this complex high-tech product

17.2

82.8

0 50 100

Figure 2 2003 Do you know the productive principles or procedures of GM foods?

Yes No

communication are obviously insufficient in the whole society, and the access of

learning and perception is none. This result also shows that only 30.5% (2003) and

29.2% (2004) of the subjects know that the daily nutrition, soy bean, is the main

imported GM food in Taiwan (figure 3). Only 26.3% (2003) of the subjects know the

0.8 0.4 1.4 30.5 0.7 66.1 0 20 40 60 80 Figure 3

2003 the main imported GM foods in Taiwan?

Mung Bean Red Bean Oat Soy Bean Black Soy Bean No idea

2004 Which GM food is the top imported merchants in Taiwan? 0.3 7.9 29.2 0.3 1.9 60.4 0.0 50.0 100.0 Mung Bean Corn Soy Beans Black Soy Beans Others

No Ideas

main exporting country (figure 4); however, only 66.1% (2003) and 68.4% (2004) of

0.7 26.3 0.5 0.6 1.9 1.2 68.8 0 20 40 60 80

Figure 4 2003 the main exported countries and areas of GMO? Europe US Japan Canada Austrlia Others No idea 66.1 33.9 0 20 40 60 80

Figure 5 2003 Do you know safety issues about GMO?

Yes No

2004 Are you aware of safety issues related to GM foods or products? 31.6 68.4 0 20 40 60 80 P er cen t Yes No

words, most people who have ever heard or known about GM foods do not

understand the production, imported categories, and productive areas; nevertheless,

two thirds of the public are aware of safety disputes of GM foods. This shows that the

public who is ever involved in this issue have preliminarily developed risk perception,

but the basic details are still blurred. Being further questioned with information

origins, most people (85.8%) answered that the media reports are the major source.

According to the previous research inference and continual observation, the time that

the media in Taiwan discussed the risk of GM foods principally focused on August

and late October in 2000. Follow-up media discourses are scarce because seldom

and communication, local public have long lacked for information and content

learning from media. Information gap and knowledge difference (Chou, 2002) formed

by this still constructively exist.

3. Risk Perception of Subjective Construction

Although constructive knowledge and information gap cause blurred risk

perception, 59.6% (2003) and 23.2% (2004) of the subjects clearly considered that

GMO potentially threatens health; 46.3 (2003) and 26.1% (2004) of the subjects

perceived that GMO potentially endangers ecology; 31.7% (2003) and 18.8% (2004)

of the subjects observed that the people who abide by religious or ethical bans such

as being a vegetarian can be impacted by GMO (figure 6). According to these data,

59.6 46.3 31.7 24.2 2 13.9 0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Figure 6 2003 main disputes of GMO?

Endanger health Endanger ecology Ethics Non-GMO labeling Others No idea

2004 What the main controversial issues do you think of the GM foods? 32.2 26.1 18.8 15.7 1.5 5.7 0.1 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 endanger health endanger ecology endanger ethics expensive GM products others no idea

2004 Do you agree that GM O could possibly endanger or affect ecology?

69.7 18.6 4.5 7.1 0.1 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 agree not agree hard to judge no idea refuse to answer

2004 Do you agree that GMO could possibly affect people's health? 68.7 17.8 7.2 _6.1 0.2 0 20 40 60 80 agree not agree hard to judge no idea refuse to answer

2004 Do you agree that there are many advantages of GMO?

55.2 27.8 8.2 8.8 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 agree not agree hard to judge no idea

2004 Do you believe that GM foods are controllable in the aspects of health and ecology?

35.6 52.3 11.8 0.3 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 believe disblieve no idea refuse to answer

about two thirds of the people do not support the production or

price, 87.5% (2003) and 90.8% (2004) of the subjects still refuse to buy them with

concern for health.

23.3 67.2 9 0.5 0 20 40 60 80

Figure 8 2003 Support GM animals or plants even they could endangerecology?

Yes No No idea Refuse to answer 2004 Will you buy GM foods if they possibily endanger health

even though their price is cheaper than other natural products?

7.4 90.8 1.7 0.1 0 20 40 60 80 100 Yes No no idea refuse to answer

In limited information and blurred risk perception, the public have subjectively

constructed their own risk perception and held refusal attitudes against GM foods. In a

word, people usually unilaterally accept and believe that they control the only

information in a closed society without information exchange and communication.

The messages revealing crises of health, ecology, or ethics become firm but

assumptive belief among people. Then people subjectively construct risk perception

in themselves, which determines their judgment and plants a seed of GMO disputes

4. Risk Assessment Perception and Risk Communication

GM foods contain the essence of risk controversy due to the complexity of high

technology. Hence, the aspects such as ethics and social risk should be further

explored, which is different from traditional risk assessment that only limited in the

topics of healthy and environmental risks. Besides discussion by specialists, two-way

risk communication besides media between the main administration and the public are

also be examined. When a social medium fails to fulfill its role in risk communication,

a two-way, multiple, and diverse risk communication mechanism offering risk

information and bridging public inclinations is obviously essential.

In the investigation, the public have a very strong perception believing that risk

assessment of GM foods is a necessary work respectively on health safety,

environmental ecology safety, religion and ethics, and social purchasing power (figure

11). However, 72.6% (2003) and 61.3% (2004) of the subjects had no idea that GM

97.1

0.7 2.2 0

50 100

Figure11 2003 Should isk and safety assessment be implemented before a product enters the

market?

Yes No No idea

2004 Do you know that risk and safety assessment should be implemented before a GM product enter the market?

38.7 61.3 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Yes No

foods should be assessed and controlled by the Department of Health in Taiwan

before entering the market (figure 12). The question is that 80.5% (2003) and 83.3%

(2004) of the people subjectively considered that the Department of Health does not

27.4

72.6

0 50 100

Figure12 2003 do you know that risk and safety assessment is required before a product enters

the merket?

Yes No

2004 Which aspects of assessment do you think that is necessary to be examined?

8.9 10.7 20.9 26.5 32.3 0.4 0.3 0 0 10 20 30 40 expensive non-GMO products religious ethics scientific safety

environmental and ecological safety

health others no idea refuse to answer

communicate and explain risk assessment of GM foods with the public (figure 15).

Overall, 90.9% (2003) and 88.9% (2004) of the public did not obtain enough

5.7 80.5 13.8 0 20 40 60 80 100

Figure 15 2003 Did the Department of Health communicate the issue of GM foods with the

public?

Yes No No idea

2004 Did the Department of Health explain or state clearly the risk and safety concerns related to GM foods?

11.1 83.3 5.5 0 20 40 60 80 100 Yes No no idea 6.3 90.9 2.8 0 50 100

Figure 16 2003 Have the public reveived any risk and safety information about GM foods?

Yes No No idea

2004 Do the public have sufficient inofrmation to understand the safety of GM foods?

7.1 88.9 4.1 0 20 40 60 80 100 Yes No no idea

2004 Is there any channel that the public can express their concerns about GM foods to the governments?

13.5 59.7 10 16.8 0 20 40 60 80 Yes No civil groups no idea

of local risk communication, risk communication as a significant index between the

government and the public is also absent. Without risk information reported by media

and risk communication between the government and the public, the mechanism

lacking of social learning contains more hidden risks. Thus the differences of risk

perception are caused. These procedures and phenomena indicated the same social

crisis according to the practical experience of compulsory labeling policy in this year.

5. Compulsory Labeling Policy without Risk Communication

This year that the government begins the policy of compulsory labeling on GM

foods is well-timed for policy propagation and risk communication. Compared to the

restricted use policy on plastic bags of which the Environmental Protection

Administration put great efforts on propagation, the Department of Health was

relatively inactive on risk communication. The acts of the Department of Health

happen to corresponding with the critical view of “irresponsible organization” in the

theory of risk society. As a modern bureaucratic organization, the Department of

Health did not actively offer information and communication opportunities for the

Even though 56.6% (2003) and 61% (2004) of the public have gradually noticed

the products with “voluntary labeling” of non GMO (figure 21) on the selves of

supermarkets in the past two years, 2002 and 2003, 78.9% (2003) and 78.6% (2004)

56.6 43.4 0 20 40 60

Figure 21 2003 Do you notice some products labeled with non-GMO in the past year?

Yes No

2004 Do you notice that some foods are lablled with non-GMO such as To-Fu and soy milk in the past two years?

61 38.9 0.1 0 20 40 60 80 Yes No refuse to answer

of the public have no idea that compulsory labeling policy beginning on January 1st, 2004 (figure 22), and more than 85% (2003) of people did not know about what

21.1 78.9 0 20 40 60 80

Figure22 2003 Do you know GM foods should be labeled from this year?

Yes No

2004 Do you know that compulsorily labelling on GM foods begins January 2004? 21.4 78.6 0 20 40 60 80 100 Yes No

kinds of products should be labeled compulsorily (figure 23). 89.8% (2003) and

78.6% (2004) of the interviewees indicated that they had never heard about any

propagation related to compulsory labeling policy which was carried out by the

Department of Health this year (figure 24). In light of two-way risk

10.2 7.2 0.2 7.4 78.9 0 20 40 60 80

Figure 23 2003 which products should be compulsorily labeled this year?

Primary product Secondary product Others No idea Skip 10.2 89.8 0 50 100

Figure 24 Have you heard about any propagation related to compulsory labeling this

year?

Yes No

2004 Have you heard any propaganda about compulsorily labelling policy by the Department of Health?

78.6 40 60 80 100 Yes No Lost or skip

communication, the subjects were questioned respectively according to two

propagation methods, media and other channels, taken by the Department of Health to

fully communicate with the society. The results reveals that 82.7% (2003) of the

interviewees regarded the main administration fails to inform the public the

compulsory labeling policy of GMO (figure 27). Also, 80.6% (2003) of the subjects

said the Department of Health did not regularly announce relative information about

GMO through media.

6.9 82.7 10.4 0 50 100

Figure 27 2003 Did the Department of Health communicate compulsory labeling policy of

GM foods to the society?

Yes No No idea

6. Social Distrust in Hidden Risk Communication

Due to the lack of active risk communication and opportunities and procedures

of two-way social learning, nearly two thirds of the interviewees stated that the

decision-making process of GM foods requires transparency when the Department of

Health administers this affair. In these delayed and latent risk hidden structure and

social developmental contexts, the public do not trust high-tech products more and

more. Nevertheless, trust is the basis of a modern society. The survey in Taiwan

shows that 73.2% (2003) and 63.3% (2004) of the public distrust the statement that

GM foods are completely safe to health made by the Department of Health (figure 20).

Department of Health is able to manage the potential risks of GMO (figure 30). 19.7 73.2 6.8 0.2 0 20 40 60 80

Figure 20 2003 Do you trust in the statement that GM food is safe to health?

Yes No No idea Refuse to answer 2004 Do you believe the statement declaring that GM foods are no harm to health according to the Department

of Health? 27.9 63.6 8.4 0 20 40 60 80 Yes No no idea 37.8 54.3 7.5 0.4 0 20 40 60

Figure 30 2003 Do you trust that the Department of Health is able to manage

compulsory labeling on GM foods? Yes No No idea Refuse to answer

2004 Do you trust that the Department of Health has the ability to manage and implement compulsorily labelling policy of GM foods?

38.2 51.2 10.4 0.2 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Yes No No idea Refuse to answer

19 74.6 6.2 0.1 0 20 40 60 80

Figure 32 2003 Do you trust that the manufacturers would follow the regulations?

Yes No No idea Refuse to answer

situation of distrust in risk has highly developed. Because risk has not been

collectively discussed for communication and mutual learning, aggregative

recognition and views are not formed in the society and further develop political

pressures. Risk has become the problem of high individualized distrust: distrust in

scientific statements of the main administration and distrust in safety certification of

manufactures. The social basis, trust and recognition, becomes a greater crisis in this

local, delayed, latent, and unknown risk social structure.

7. The Rights of Self-participation and Decision Making of Risk Policy (Figure 17, 18, 19)

Although the recognition crisis of social distrust in a risk hidden social structure

is exposed, the individualized and personalized of risk developmental context does

not impede the development of individual autonomous privileges in a local society

with high exchange of information, especially the perspectives of civil rights to

participate in technological policy decision-making. According to other countries’

experiences, the participation in technological risk policy-making has gradually

As a result, 90.3% (2003) and 67.6% (2004) of the interviewees stated that they

had no opportunities to access the risk policy-making of GM foods (figure 19). It also

corresponds to the fact that the Department of Health had not established any

procedures or mechanism for participation of the public in technological policy

making. This part of issue should be discussed and planned overall under the

framework of technology and society of Taiwan. Also, 86.8% (2003) of the subjects

claimed that the citizens should have the right to participate in decision-making of

technological risk policy (figure 17), which is worth to discuss.

86.8 10.9 2.3 0 50 100

Figure 17 2003 Do the public have the right to participate in decision-making of GM foods

policy?

Yes No No idea

2004 Is there any opportunity that the public participate in the decision-making process? 22.2 67.6 10.2 0 20 40 60 80 Yes No no idea 20.5 65.7 13.9 0 20 40 60 80

figure 18 2003 Do the public have the channel to participate in policy-making of GM foods?

Yes No No idea

9.7

90.3

0 50 100

Figure 19 2003 Do the public have the opportunity to know and participate in

policy-making of GM foods?

Yes No

References:

Chou, Kuei Tien (2002) The theoretical and practical gap of glocalizational risk delayed high-tech risk society, in Taiwan: A Radical Quarterly in Social Studies, No. 45, March 2002, p. 69-122.

Chou, Kuei-Tien (2000) Bio-industry and social risk – delayed high-tech risk society, in Taiwan: A Radical Quarterly in Social Studies, No. 39, September 2000, p. 239-283.