Is biotechnology (more) acceptable when it enables a reduction in phytosanitary treatments? A European comparison of the acceptability of transgenesis and cisgenesis

Damien Rousselière (1) , Samira Rousselière (2, 3)

1 SMART-LERECO - Structures et Marché Agricoles, Ressources et Territoires
2 ONIRIS - École nationale vétérinaire, agroalimentaire et de l'alimentation Nantes-Atlantique
3 LEMNA - Laboratoire d'économie et de management de Nantes Atlantique

Reduced pesticide use is one of the reasons given by Europeans for accepting new genetic engineering techniques. According to the advocates of these techniques, consumers are likely to embrace the application of cisgenesis to apple trees. In order to verify the acceptability of these techniques, we estimate a Bayesian multilevel structural equation model, which takes into account the multidimensional nature of acceptability and individual, national, and European effects, using data from the Eurobarometer 2010 73.1 on science. The results underline the persistence of clear differences between European countries and whilst showing considerable defiance, a relatively wider acceptability of vertical gene transfer as a means of reducing phytosanitary treatments, compared to horizontal transfer.

Mots clés: Risk Perception; genetically modified organisms (GMO); multilevel structural equation model; Agricultural biotechnologies; Eurobarometer

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Damien Rousselière, Samira Rousselière. Is biotechnology (more) acceptable when it enables a reduction in phytosanitary treatments? A European comparison of the acceptability of transgenesis and cisgenesis. PLoS ONE, 2017, 12 (9), pp.e0183213. ⟨10.1371/journal.pone.0183213⟩. ⟨hal-01588597⟩