ABSTRACT

Many consumer products are manufactured or synthesized from chemicals. However, consumers may be hesitant to purchase consumer products that are perceived as synthetic or derived with chemical substances. Prior studies suggested a preference for chemicals of natural origin and an irrational fear of synthetic chemicals, a phenomenon that is referred to as chemophobia. The aim of this study was two-fold as follows: to (1) investigate the levels of knowledge with respect to toxicological principles, chemophobia, and trust in stakeholders in South Korea and (2) experimentally test the effect of information provision on acceptance and willingness-to-buy for the specific case of trace chemicals in consumer products. For this purpose, an online survey and experiment was conducted with consumers in South Korea. Data suggested that in South Korea chemophobia correlated with an individual’s knowledge regarding toxicological principles. Accordingly, a small intervention providing information on the dose-response mechanism increased consumers’ acceptance of the presence of trace chemicals and subsequent willingness to purchase the products in this study. In conclusion, this investigation stresses the importance of educating the public regarding basic principles of toxicology to avoid chemophobia, while simultaneously discussing other factors that need to be taken into account such as attitudes and trust in communicators.

摘要

许多消费品是由化学品制造或合成的。然而，消费者可能不愿购买被认为是合成的或由化学物质衍生的消费品。先前的研究表明，偏爱天然来源的化学物质，对合成化学物质的非理性恐惧，这种现象被称为化学恐惧症。本研究的目的有两个：(1) 调查关于毒理学原理、化学恐惧症和韩国利益相关者信任的知识水平；(2) 实验测试信息提供对接受和接受的影响。消费产品中痕量化学品的特定情况的购买意愿。为此，对韩国消费者进行了在线调查和实验。数据表明，在韩国，化学恐惧症与个人对毒理学原理的了解有关。因此，提供剂量反应机制信息的小干预提高了消费者对微量化学物质存在的接受度以及随后购买本研究中产品的意愿。总之，这项调查强调了对公众进行毒理学基本原则教育以避免化学恐惧症的重要性，同时讨论了其他需要考虑的因素，例如态度和对传播者的信任。一项提供剂量反应机制信息的小型干预措施提高了消费者对微量化学物质存在的接受度以及随后购买本研究中产品的意愿。总之，这项调查强调了对公众进行毒理学基本原则教育以避免化学恐惧症的重要性，同时讨论了其他需要考虑的因素，例如态度和对传播者的信任。一项提供剂量反应机制信息的小型干预措施提高了消费者对微量化学物质存在的接受度以及随后购买本研究中产品的意愿。总之，这项调查强调了对公众进行毒理学基本原则教育以避免化学恐惧症的重要性，同时讨论了其他需要考虑的因素，例如态度和对传播者的信任。