From the results of the survey, we can conclude that in most cases individuals considerations altered in choosing genetically modified yogurt.
When considering their yogurt choice, individuals are heavily influenced by health benefits the yogurt may offer. This factor was considered strongly in the case of both genetically modified and unmodified yogurt.
According to various marketing and industry professionals, and evident from the survey results, taste is the most consistently considered factor in yogurt purchase; The better the taste, the more likely individuals are to purchase the particular yogurt.
Price ranked as a strongly influential factor in every day yogurt purchasing habits but when considering genetically modified yogurt, individuals claimed that price is not a driving factor in their purchase.
Ecological impact proved to be the least considered factor in purchasing yogurt and when questioned about ecological consideration in choosing a genetically modified yogurt, many claimed that it did not influence their decision.
In an attempt to draw parallels with considerations in the choice between genetically modified and unmodified yogurt, individuals were asked whether they considered the potential health hazards when making a purchase and whether labelling genetically modified yogurt would prevent any concerns regarding the potential health hazards that these products may have. The survey results illustrated a fair consideration with regards to the potential health hazards of yogurt and clearly showed that by simply labelling the genetically modified yogurt, individuals were more willing to purchase this item. The data presented from the survey is in agreement with the information collected from the industry and academic professionals who claimed that transparency is a key issue with regards to genetically modified foods.
Along with comparing what factors an individual considered when buying yogurt (their behavior) with the choice they would realistically make (their action), we also analyzed the importance of factors individuals took into consideration. Through our public survey, we found that Health Benefit, Price, and Taste play the largest role in an individual’s decision to purchase a product, while Ecological Impact had a minimal role. We calculated the importance of these factors by taking their average scores with 5 being most important.
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