The empirical analysis of the effects of numeracy on food risk perceptions and choice behavior

• Project/Area Number: 25450314
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Agricultural science in management and economy
• Research Institution: Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: SAWADA MANABU 帯広畜産大学, 畜産学部, 教授 (60142791)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2015)
• Budget Amount: ¥5,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,200,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,950,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥450,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥1,950,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥450,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
• Keywords: ニューメラシー / グラフリテラシー / 牛肉 / 選択実験 / 放射性物質検査 / BSE検査 / 支払意志額 / 放射能 / BSE / 認知バイアス / 食品リスク認知

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Numeracy is the ability to understand the operations of probabilistic and statistical computation, such as comparing probabilities and proportions. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of the numeracy levels on food risk perceptions and food choice behavior. An internet survey was conducted with Japanese citizens in Tokyo metropolitan area whose numeracy score were measured and analyzed. There was a positive correlation between numeracy and graph literacy - the ability to understand information presented graphically. There were no significant differences by the difference in numeracy levels for food risk perception. The results of choice experiments showed that people with low numeracy skills stated higher willingness to pay for beef than those with high numeracy skills. This evidence suggests that the size and direction of hypothetical bias in stated choice experiment might depend on participants’ numeracy level.