公众对转基因作物的接受度及其影响因素:基于六城市调查数据的社会学分析

本文利用一项大规模的入户抽样调查数据，分析了中国公众对转基因作物的接受度问题。与以往基于“消费者行为研究”框架而采取“个体决策行为模型”的研究不同，本文从风险社会学的理论视角出发，试图发展一个“社会行动模型”的理论框架，以解释个体在“风险社会”中面对一项新技术时的决策行动受到哪些社会性因素的影响。结果显示，中国公众对推广种植转基因大米的接受度不高，与2002年相比有明显下降；传统的“个体决策行为模型”有一定的解释力，但其决策行为是基于有限知识基础上的“有限理性选择”，大众媒体的影响、对“专家系统”的制度性信任都是重要的影响因素。

A Sociological Analysis on the Public Acceptance of GM Crops in China: Based on a Sampling Survey in 6 Cities

Based on the data of a large scale face to face interview survey, this study presents an analysis of the acceptance of gene modified (GM) crops among Chinese residents. Departing from a conventional framework in this field which examines the consumers’“individual decision making behavior”, this research intends to develop a “social action model” to explain the factors that influence individuals’decision making about a new technology, by drawing upon risk society theory. In addition to “individual decision making behavior”, this study identifies a number of affecting social factors, including “knowledge and cognitive ability”, “mass media”, and “institutional trust”. The results of the empirical analysis are summarized as follows: (1) The acceptance of new technologies, to some extent, is indeed a decision making process by individuals based on the assessment of benefits (not examined in this study), risks and purchase power. However, this explanation is incomplete. In the face of a new technology, individuals can only make a “bounded rational choice” due to their limited knowledge, and the risks they consider are largely “constructive risks”. (2) The mass media plays an important role in the construction of “risks”. The risks perceived by the public, to some extent, are “shaped”. The traditional TV media have a stronger function of “shaping” the public opinion. In contrast, the Internet as new media plays a more complicated role: while increasing the amount of information available, the Internet also strengthens some people’s perception of risks due to the diversity of information it provides. (3) In understanding individuals’ decision making about risks, institutional trust is an un ignorable and indeed crucial factor. In the face of a new technology, individuals’ risk perception and decision making behavior largely rely on institutional trust in various expert systems (including government), and once this trust declines or disappears, they will become very worried about and hostile toward new technologies.