Agricultural Economics Department
Cornhusker Economics
Date of this Version
7-31-2024
Document Type
Newsletter Issue
Citation
Cornhusker Economics (July 31, 2024)
Agricultural Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Abstract
The study highlights that standard research practice—exposing participants to information—may not capture what will happen outside of the lab when people have a choice about what to read, view, or do with their time. While we found that having participants read about honey fraud significantly shifted their willingness to pay for local and domestic versus imported honey, we did not find those changes when people were able to select a text to read.
The implications of these findings extend beyond the issue of honey fraud to broader contexts of food safety, nutrition, and production techniques. While people have preferences for ultimate outcomes related to health, the environment, etc., links between food choices and those outcomes may not be obvious in the absence of information. Thus, for consumers to make informed food choices, understanding how and why they choose to access information is critical. Our study contributes to this ongoing effort by providing valuable insights into how consumers choose information, and the implication of those choices for consumers and the food industry.