Consumers' intention to participate in food safety risk communication: A model integrating protection motivation theory and the theory of reasoned action. (August 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhu, Ying; Wen, Xiaowei; Chu, May; Sun, Sangluo
• Is Part Of: Food control. Volume 138(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-08
• Subjects: Food risk communication -- Theory of reasoned action -- Protection motivation theory -- Consumers -- Participating intention; Food -- Quality -- Periodicals; Food -- Analysis -- Periodicals; Food handling -- Periodicals; Food industry and trade -- Quality control -- Periodicals; Aliments -- Industrie et commerce -- Qualité -- Contrôle -- Périodiques; Aliments -- Qualité -- Périodiques; Aliments -- Analyse -- Périodiques; Hygiène alimentaire -- Périodiques; Food -- Analysis; Food handling; Food -- Quality; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 664.07
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2022.108993
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0956-7135

Abstract

Abstract: Food safety risk communication aims to enhance stakeholders' understanding of the assessment and management of food safety hazards and allows people to make informed judgements about food production and consumption. To analyse consumers' intention to participate in food safety risk communication, this paper develops an integrated model that combines the protection motivation theory with the reasoned action theory. Structural equation modeling with the partial least squares technique is used to test the theoretical model. Data were collected from 676 valid online survey responses from randomly selected consumers in northeast China. The results indicated that attitude is a key factor mediating the relationships between perceived severity, response efficacy, self-efficacy, and consumers' intention to participate in food risk communication. Highlights: The integrated PMT/TRA framework has better explained self-protection motivation. First time to consider individual and social influence in the cognitive process of communication. Attitudes mediate the effects of threat and coping appraisals on communication intention. Attitudes and subjective norms affect one's intention to communicate food risk. Self-efficacy has the most significant effect on one's attitude towards risk communication.