Biotecnologie agroforestali e loro percezione. L'opinione degli studenti e dei ricercatori

Abstract

The aim of this work is to investigate the perception of Italian university students (Agricultural Sciences, Nutrition, Medicine, Biological Sciences, Economics, Political Science, Law) and researchers (Council for Agricultural Research and Economics and National Research Council) toward the introduction of GMOs in agro-forestry. The factors determining positive or negative attitudes towards GMOs were analyzed by means of a targeted questionnaire consisting of 42 multiple questions divided into four units: Knowledge, Opinion, Trust, Identity. The survey followed different approaches: descriptive, to assess the level of social approval of the GMOs; explorative, to detect the factors of social acceptability; comparative, to investigate cultural differences. The extent of "social acceptability" of GMOs was assessed in relation to variables such as demographics, knowledge of the meaning of GMOs, perception of the relationship between nature and science, attitudes toward the limit s of human intervention in nature, trust in institutions and regulatory policies. The questionnaire was structured with closed questions (Likert scale). Out of 560 questionnaires distributed to students, 303 replied; while out of 400 questionnaires sent to researchers, 123 replied. Data were processed through a multivariate analysis approach involving: multiple correspondence analysis (MCA), hierarchical clustering (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA) and k-means (K-m). MCA showed a clear distinction between the responses of university students and researchers; while HCA highlighted, for both, the different perception of experts and non-experts in the biotechnology field as for Knowledge, Opinion and Trust. PCA and K-m demonstrated that the positive or negative opinion toward GMOs, as for students, does not depend on their knowledge, but it is strongly associated with the level of trust in the institutions. To the contrary, as for researchers, it is related to the knowledge level of of this issue, without any linkage with the trust in the institutions. This kind of study represents a key process for understanding the social, ecological and economic dynamics that have an important impact on citizens, society and community, at national/international level. This information, amplified at different scales of interest, plays a key role for both experts (e.g. scientists, decision makers, producers) and end-users (e.g. stakeholders, associations, buying groups, persons).