Open and transparent research practices and public perceptions of the trustworthiness of agricultural biotechnology organizations

Asheley R. Landrum, Joseph Hilgard, Robert B. Lull, Heather Akin, Kathleen Hall Jamieson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Public trust in agricultural biotechnology organizations that produce so-called ‘genetically-modified organisms’ (GMOs) is affected by misinformed attacks on GM technology and worry that producers’ concern for profits overrides concern for the public good. In an experiment, we found that reporting that the industry engages in open and transparent research practices increased the perceived trustworthiness of university and corporate organizations involved with GMOs. Universities were considered more trustworthy than corporations overall, supporting prior findings in other technology domains. The results suggest that commitment to, and communication of, open and transparent research practices should be part of the process of implementing agricultural biotechnologies.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-33
Number of pages33
JournalJournal of Science Communication
Volume17
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2018

Keywords

  • Public perception of science and technology
  • Public understanding of science and technology
  • Risk communication

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Open and transparent research practices and public perceptions of the trustworthiness of agricultural biotechnology organizations'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this