Northern Branch Lecture at UP

The proliferation of misinformation is a major global issue with serious societal consequences and demands solutions. Misinformation about food biotechnology is more prevalent than other hotly debated scientific topics. However, strategies combatting misinformation in food and agriculture have received relatively less attention. This study investigates the effect of misinformation on consumer demand and attitudes towards bioengineered food and tests the effectiveness of pre-bunking and debunking mitigation strategies. Using choice experiment data from a sample of 1,270 consumers, we find that exposure to misinformation has a significant, negative effect on consumer preferences for bioengineered food, and leads to stronger preferences towards restrictive policies. We also find that while pre-bunking is an effective mitigating strategy, debunking alone is not. Our findings suggest that it is more effective to preemptively warn consumers regarding misinformation and the tactics used to spread it than merely correcting the misinformation afterwards.