Due to its ability to achieve genetic engineering goals without transgene modifications, gene-editing is fast becoming a predominant genetic-engineering breeding technique and a range of food-related applications have already been developed. Yet, it remains unclear whether consumers would perceive gene-edited food products differently from so-called first-generation genetic engineering or from genetic modification, and how information about its benefits might alter consumer choice. Focusing on a recent gene-editing application in animal production, the genetic dehorning of dairy cows, this study uses data from a survey of 1,000 US consumers to determine: (i) consumer willingness-to-pay for milk from cows that have been gene-edited to be hornless; and (ii) consumers’ response to information about how the gene-editing technology works, how it differs from genetic modification, and its benefits for animal welfare. Information treatments utilise videos to maximise respondents’ understanding. Results from parametric and semi-parametric choice models suggest that: (i) information on animal welfare has the strongest effect on consumer willingness-to-pay for milk produced from conventionally and genetically dehorned cows; and (ii) that providing respondents with more information leads to an increasingly wider spread of the preference distributions in the positive and negative domain uncovering a further polarisation of preferences and confirming the heterogeneous impact of information on preferences.

中文翻译：

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动物福利会促进无角牛吗？不同信息制度下消费者对基因编辑奶牛牛奶的评价

由于其无需转基因修饰即可实现基因工程目标的能力，基因编辑正迅速成为主要的基因工程育种技术，并且已经开发了一系列与食品相关的应用。然而，目前尚不清楚消费者对基因编辑食品的看法是否与所谓的第一代基因工程或基因改造不同，以及有关其益处的信息如何改变消费者的选择。本研究关注最近在动物生产中的基因编辑应用，即奶牛的基因去角，使用来自对 1,000 名美国消费者的调查的数据来确定：(i) 消费者愿意为来自基因的奶牛的牛奶支付费用- 编辑为无角；(ii) 消费者对有关基因编辑技术如何运作的信息的反应，它与基因改造有何不同，以及它对动物福利的好处。信息处理利用视频来最大化受访者的理解。参数和半参数选择模型的结果表明：(i) 动物福利信息对消费者购买传统和基因去角奶牛生产的牛奶的支付意愿影响最大；(ii) 为受访者提供更多信息导致偏好分布在正面和负面领域的分布越来越广泛，揭示了偏好的进一步两极分化，并证实了信息对偏好的异质影响。参数和半参数选择模型的结果表明：(i) 动物福利信息对消费者购买传统和基因去角奶牛生产的牛奶的支付意愿影响最大；(ii) 为受访者提供更多信息导致偏好分布在正面和负面领域的分布越来越广泛，揭示了偏好的进一步两极分化，并证实了信息对偏好的异质影响。参数和半参数选择模型的结果表明：(i) 动物福利信息对消费者购买传统和基因去角奶牛生产的牛奶的支付意愿影响最大；(ii) 为受访者提供更多信息导致偏好分布在正面和负面领域的分布越来越广泛，揭示了偏好的进一步两极分化，并证实了信息对偏好的异质影响。