Food Integrity and Food Technology Concerns in Canada: Evidence from Two Public Surveys

Table 1

Questions used to measure variables.

	Questions	Source
Concerns about food issues	How do you rate the health risks of regular consumption of the following: (i) Foods with pesticide or other chemical residues; (ii) Genetically modified (GM) food; (iii) Meat/fish/dairy products with hormone residues; (iv) Foods made with ingredients that are produced with nanotechnology; (v) Meat/fish/dairy products with antibiotic residues; Responses are as follows: 0, do not know; 1, very low risk; … 5, very high risk
Frequency of attending service at place of worship	In the past year, how often have you attended a regular service at a place of worship? 0, prefer not to say; 1, never; … 5, regularly (once per week)
Frequency of grocery shopping	How often are you involved in the regular grocery shopping for your household? Responses are as follows: 1, never; … 5, always
Farm	Do you, or someone you are related to, own or work on a ranch or farm? 0, no; 1, yes
Knowledge; (1) Self-rated knowledge of science and technology developments	In general, to what extent do you feel knowledgeable about scientific and technological developments? 1 means that “you have little knowledge” and 10 means that “you know a lot”
Knowledge; (2) Self-rated knowledge of environmental problems	To what extent do you feel knowledgeable about environmental problems? 1 means that “you have little knowledge” and 10 means that “you know a lot”
Science benefit attitude	All things considered, would you say that the world is better off, or worse off, because of science and technology? 1 means that “the world is a lot worse off” and 10 means that “the world is a lot better off”	Vandermoere et al. [10]
Trust; (1) Generalized trust in people	Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted? 1, (most) people can be trusted; 0, cannot be too careful in dealing with people or do not know	Glaeser et al. [11]
Trust; (2) Trust in institutions responsible for food	How much trust do you have in the following groups or institutions regarding their responsibility for food production in Canada? Responses are anchored as follows: 1, no trust; 5, absolute trust. The organizations are farmers, food processors or manufacturers, research organizations or universities, pharmaceutical industry which provides drugs to treat animals, government agencies or public authorities, retailers, advocacy consumer organizations, advocacy environmental organizations, and advocacy organizations for animal welfare	Roosen et al. [8]
Knowledge; (1) Self-rated knowledge of science and technology developments	In general, to what extent do you feel knowledgeable about scientific and technological developments? 1 means that “you have little knowledge” and 10 means that “you know a lot”
Knowledge; (2) Self-rated knowledge of environmental problems	To what extent do you feel knowledgeable about environmental problems? 1 means that “you have little knowledge” and 10 means that “you know a lot”
Science benefit attitude	All things considered, would you say that the world is better off, or worse off, because of science and technology? 1 means that “the world is a lot worse off” and 10 means that “the world is a lot better off”	Vandermoere et al. [10]
Environmental concerns; (1) New Human Interdependence Paradigm (NHIP) scale (sum)	(i) Human beings can progress only by conserving nature’s resources; (ii) Human beings can enjoy nature only if they make wise use of its resources; (iii) Human progress can be achieved only by maintaining ecological balance; (iv) Preserving nature at the present time means ensuring the future of human beings; (v) We must reduce our consumption levels to ensure well-being of the present and future generations; Responses are 1, strongly disagree; … 5, strongly agree	Corral-Verdugo et al. [12]
Environmental concerns; (2) Myths of nature (dummy variables)	Please indicate which one of the following statements corresponds most with your view on nature. Select one only.; Myth of nature 1: environmental problems can only be controlled by enforcing radical changes in human behaviour in society as a whole (nature ephemeral); Myth of nature 2: environmental problems are not entirely out of control, but the government should dictate clear rules about what is and what is not allowed (nature perverse/tolerant); Myth of nature 3: we do not need to worry about environmental problems because, in the end, these problems will always be resolved by technological solutions (nature benign); Myth of nature 4: we do not know whether environmental problems will magnify or not (nature capricious)	Steg and Sievers [13]
Health engagement-general health interest (sum)	Please respond to the following statements: (i) The healthiness of food has little impact on my food choices; (ii) I am very particular about the healthiness of food I eat; (iii) I eat what I like and I do not worry much about the healthiness of food; (iv) It is important for me that my diet is low in fat; (v) I always follow a healthy and balanced diet; (vi) It is important for me that my daily diet contains a lot of vitamins and minerals; (vii) The healthiness of snacks makes no difference to me; (viii) I do not avoid foods, even if they may raise my cholesterol; Responses are anchored as follows: 1, strongly disagree; … 5, strongly agree	Roininen et al. [14, 15]

Note. implies that the statement was reverse-coded for the analysis.