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Consumer perceptions of nanotechnology

STOA Workshop: The Big Future of Nanotechnology in Medicine

25-06-2020

Dr. Roxanne van Giesen

CentERdata

Independent research institute located in the Netherlands, at the Tilburg University campus

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Consumer research @ CentERdata

Financial decision making/

consumer protection

Sustainability

1. Understanding consumer behaviour - motives, barriers, problems

2. Changing consumer behaviour - often through (adjustments in) information provision

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Research team

dr. Arnout

Fischer

Wageningen

University

dr. Roxanne

van Giesen

CentERdata

Prof. dr. ir.

Hans van Trijp

Wageningen

University

Research funded by NanoNextNL, a micro and nanotechnology

innovation consortium of the Government of the Netherlands and 130

partners from academia and industry. More information on

www.nanonextnl.nl

A promising technology, but what does society think?

• Society can embrace or reject a new technology.

• Public resistance/rejection might happen: see genetic modification, biotechnology and nuclear energy…

• Certain nanotechnology applications might run into similar risks.

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Currall et al., 2006; Einsiedel & Goldenberg, 2004; Frewer et al., 2011; Gupta et al., 2012; Siegrist et al., 2008

Consumer response is important

• Society can embrace or reject a new technology.

• Key challenges:

• lack of knowledge

• high level of uncertainty: what are the risks and benefits?

• Very important to connect to target audience to make it succeed.

• Consumer response significantly influences the development of nanotechnology.

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Fleischer et al., 2012

Consumer opinion

• Forming an opinion (or attitude) about something where you lack knowledge about is difficult.

• How do consumers do this?

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Attitudes

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van Giesen., 2015

Attitudes

• Summary evaluations

• Multi-facetted: multiple attributes involved

• Based in affect or cognition

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9CognitionAffect

Evans et al. (2008)

Attitudes familiar things

Familiar things:

– Established knowledge base.

Expressing attitudes is straightforward:

– Relevant affective & cognitive

info available.

– Fast and easy evaluation..

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Edwards, 1990; Plessner et al., 2008

What if something is unfamiliar? (like nanotech)

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11 Pavelchak. (1989);

Van Overwalle et al. (2005).

Clore & Huntsinger (2007)

Unfamiliar nanotechnology

• Lack of knowledge

• Evaluations need to be constructed on the spot

• In such low information situations, affect experienced at the moment of evaluation plays an important role.

• With increased knowledge, it will become easier to integrate information and connect it in already existing knowledge structures less affective

response.

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Reisch et al., 2011; van Giesen et al. 2018; Pidgeon et al., 2011; Schwarz, 2007; Loewenstein et al., 2001.

Research question and method

• RQ: to what extent does the relative influence of affect and cognition on overall attitude changes over time for nanotechnology and conventional technologies?

• Nanotechnology and similar conventional applications: description of the technology.

• Longitudinal survey (3 times) with 856 consumers.

• Consumer opinions: affective, cognitive, overall evaluations.24-6-2020

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Applications

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Food Water

Application Nanotechnology

Application conventional

Application Nanotechnology

Application conventional

Nano food additives

Food additives Water purification nano-membrane

Water purification sand filtration

Nano Supplements

Supplements Water monitoring nano-sensor

Water monitoring

Medicine Energy

Application Nanotechnology

Application conventional

Application Nanotechnology

Application conventional

Lab-on-a-chip Medical home test Nano-solar cell Solar cell

Nano medicine Medicine Nano battery Battery

All descriptions of the applications were checked by an expert in Molecular biology, Risk assessment, Food safety. In four pilot studies the scenarios were further improved.

Knowledge

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Subjective knowledge remains low.

More than 2/3 of respondents have heard of nanotechnology

Intensity graph for media attention to nanotechnology in NL, specified per news source

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Nanotechnology vs. conventional applications

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17In general: relatively neutral attitudes, slightly more positive attitudes towards conventional applicationsT1: p = .015; T2: p < .001; T3: p = .022.

Water/food

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• Applications closer to the body (e.g. water/food-related) are more likely to raise societal concern, making rejection more likely.

See also: Steenis et al. (2016).

Water filter: more positive attitudes towards conventional applicationsT1: p = .013; T2: p < .001; T3: p = .002.

Food additive: more positive attitudes towards conventional applicationsT1: ns; T2: p = .020; T3: p= .027.

Medicine

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• Benefits of nanotechnology mainly expected to occur in relation to medicines and health.

See also: Boholm & Larsson, 2019; Frewer, 2017.

Medicine: no differences in attitudes between nano & conventional applicationsT1: p = .363; T2: p = .868; T3: p = .511.

Medical test: T1 & T2: no differences in attitudes between nano & conventional applications; T1: p = .087; T2: p = .909; T3: attitudes nanotechnology application slightly more positive!T3: p = .039.

Estimated model

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20 Cognition

Affect Overall attitude

Estimated model

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Evaluations

• Conventional technology:

– No change over time in reliance on affect or cognition.

• Nanotechnology applications T1 (perceived as unfamiliar):

– Default is affect.

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Evaluations over time

• Nanotechnology, over time:

– Affect relatively less important.

– Cognition more important (mainly T2).

• Over time, with growing knowledge/ repeated exposure, reliance on affect decreases and on cognition increases somewhat.

• Attitudes are however not stable yet. This picture has not changed during the past years. This makes it difficult to predict consumer behaviour.24-6-2020

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Conclusions and implications I

• Nanotechnology is promising, but also abstract and complex (we cannot see it).

• Consumer perception is crucial to avoid public backlash.

• For unfamiliar nanotechnology applications people often rely on affect.

• Communication should therefore be more affective in nature.

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Conclusions and implications II

• At the same time it is important to contribute to a factual knowledge base.

• Provide information that connects to consumers’ existing knowledge structures.

• It then becomes easier to integrate the unfamiliar nanotechnology application in consumers’ current knowledge structures.

• Emphasize the usefulness of nanotechnology applications in consumers’ daily life (make it less scary).

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Relevant publications

Giesen, R.I. van, Fischer, A.R.H., Trijp, J.C.M., van (2018). Changes over time in the influence of affect and cognition on consumer attitude formation toward nanotechnology: A longitudinal survey study. Public Understanding of Science, 27 (2), 168-164. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662516661292

Giesen, R.I. van, Fischer, A.R.H., Dijk, H. van & Trijp, J.C.M. van. Affect and cognition in attitude formation toward (un)familiar attitude objects (2015). PlosOne. Doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141790

Giesen, R.I. van (2015). Affect and cognition in attitude formation towards familiar and unfamiliar attitude objects: The case of nanotechnology. Doctoral thesis. Ridderkerk: Ridderprint BV. Available for download via: https://edepot.wur.nl/345552

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Thanks for your attention!

More info:

E-mail: r.i.vangiesen@uvt.nl

CentERdata/data collection using the LISS panel, see: www.centerdata.nl