Are East Asian tourists more apprehensive about food risks?. (1st January 2011)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Larsen, Svein; Ning, Zequn; Wang, Jing; Øgaard, Torvald; Li, Xiang; Brun, Wibecke
• Is Part Of: International journal of tourism anthropology. Volume 1:Number 3/4(2011)
• Page Start: 226
• Page End: 238
• Publication Date: 2011-01-01
• Subjects: food risk -- subjective risk -- cross cultural risk -- China; Culture and tourism -- Periodicals; Tourism -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; 306.481905
• DOI: 10.1504/IJTA.2011.043707
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1759-0442

Abstract

The expectation that 'food risk abroad is higher than at home' was explored in domestic and international tourists in China. Food risks at home were lowest, risks for 'the trip you are on now' second lowest, and risks abroad highest, an effect that we label the 'home is safer than abroad heuristic'. Absolute levels of food risks were higher in the present sample compared to earlier European samples. Chinese domestic respondents scored higher on risk judgments, but rated 'genetically modified food' less risky than foreign tourists did. The tendency to judge the 'all in all risks' lower than individual risks, the 'conjunction fallacy', was found in both domestic and international tourists. These cross national differences are robust. They are not a result of demographic differences or differences in scale use/understanding. The similarities between the groups are also interesting, suggesting a generic 'home safer than abroad heuristic'.