UNDERSTANDING HOW COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES IMPACTS ATTITUDES, OPINIONS AND TRUST TOWARD FOOD PRODUCTION ISSUES

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1003955
• Project Start Date: Oct 1, 2014
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2018
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
G022 MCCARTY HALL
GAINESVILLE,FL 32611

Performing Department
Agricultural Education and Communication

Non Technical Summary
Today less than 2% of the American workforce is employed in agriculture and less than 30% of the population lives in a rural area (Dimitri, Effland, & Conklin, 2005). The majority of United States consumers are now generations removed from the farm (American Farm Bureau, 2001; American Farm Bureau, 2007). In Florida, less than 1% of residents are farm operators (United States Census Bureau, 2014; United States Department of Agriculture, 2014). However, agricultural production contributes more that $1 billion to the states economy each year (Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 2013). As residents have moved away from the farm, agricultural technology has become more complex resulting in a consumer base that is often skeptical and misinformed regarding agricultural and food production issues. This becomes problematic as consumer skepticism leads to regulatory pressures and demands for change that can influence the productivity and economic contribution of agriculture.The industry has struggled to communicate effectively about agriculture and food production issues (Graves, 2005). Through increased effective communication about food production issues the widening gap between producers and consumers can be narrowed. Narrowing this gap through effective communication and increasing positive attitudes, opinion, and trust toward food production is essential to the future of both Florida and American agriculture. A public that is informed about food production issues can make informed voting and consumption decisions, as well as carry out actions that highlight the value of agriculture. A Florida population that has been exposed to effective communication strategies (e.g. message frames, transparent communication, message channel, message source etc...) about food production issues can act on regulatory issues facing the state such as GMO labeling, immigration reform, and water conservation without skepticism, directly impacting production levels and economic viability of producers. Information received by the public can influence their attitudes, opinions, and trust, which they then take with them when making decisions and interacting with others. Studying the impacts of communication strategies on consumers' attitudes, opinions, and trust toward food production issues is essential in order to reduce skepticism and narrow the gap between producers and consumers.To improve the effectiveness of industry communication and the impacts of that communication on attitudes, opinions, and trust, this research will utilize survey methodology to test communication strategies and gather data from respondents about their attitudes, opinions, and trust of food production issues. In addition, this research will use a content analysis to examine the food production issues covered in the media and policy agenda to determine if they align with the food production issues that the public feels are important. The results of this research can provide valuable insight to effective communication strategies for the industry, which, if implemented, could lead to an informed public that is able act on food productions issues, whether through decisions or conversations, without skepticism.

Animal Health Component

100%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

0%

Applied

100%

Developmental

0%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
901	6010	3030	30%
902	6010	3030	30%
903	6010	3030	40%

Knowledge Area
902 - Administration of Projects and Programs; 901 - Program and Project Design, and Statistics; 903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
6010 - Individuals;

Field Of Science
3030 - Information and communication;

Keywords

effective communication

food production issues

attitude

trust

opinion

Goals / Objectives
Goal: To increase the effectiveness of industry communication so that the public is able make informed decisions on food production issues.Objective #1: Identify the role communication strategies present in the media agenda, public agenda, and policy agenda play in the change of attitudes, opinions, and trust of food prodction issues over time.Objective #2: Determine how communication strategies impact individual attitudes, opinions, and trust toward food production issues.Objective #3: Determine how communication strategies about food production issues are cognitively processed by different audiences.

Project Methods
Objective #1: Identify the role communication strategies present in the media agenda, public agenda, and policy agenda play in the change of attitudes, opinions, and trust of food prodction issues over time.A longitudinal study will be conducted examining food production issues in the media, public, and policy agenda. Through an online survey, implemented with a random panel of Florida citizens on an annual basis, the public agenda regarding food production issues will be assessed. Participants will be asked to rank the importance of various food production issues. These same issues will then be examined in state and national media as well as pending legislation via a content analysis. The content analysis will reveal a ranking of issues in the media agenda and the policy agenda. A comparison of the media, public, and policy agendas will then be assessed. Florida citizens' attitudes, opinions, and trust surrounding food production issues will also be collected each year as part of the online survey. After 5 years, analysis will be conducted to examine if there were any significant changes in attitudes, opinions, and trust over time. Additionally, a correlation between the attitudes, opinions, and trust and the issue rankings of the public, media, and public agendas will be conducted to identify the relationship of the agendas to attitudes, opinions, and trust, and if these relationships vary over time. Although the same respondents will not be contacted each year, comparisons will be able to be made over time due to the large sample size and generalizability of the results.Research may be disseminated in workshops, white papers, publications in trade magazines, Extension publications, academic publications, and online learning modules to industry communicators and Extension agents. These dissemination methods will be evaluated based on the number of participants/views and when possible, measures of knowledge gain and intent to implement new communication practices.Objective #2: Determine how communication strategies impact individual attitudes, opinions, and trust toward food production issues.An annual study will be conducted examining Florida citizens' attitudes, opinions, and trust surrounding food production issues as a result of strategic communication. Food production issues of interest will include, but are not limited to, food security, food safety, and GMOs. The study will use an online survey design, implemented with a random panel of Florida citizens, on an annual basis. Within the survey a strategic communication piece about an issue will be presented. This may include a specific communication scenario with specific message frames or other communication tactics. Data will be analyzed to determine how the communication affected consumers' attitudes, opinions, and trust toward food production issues.Research may be disseminated in workshops, white papers, publications in trade magazines, Extension publications, academic publications, and online learning modules to industry communicators and Extension agents. These dissemination methods will be evaluated based on the number of participants/views and when possible, measures of knowledge gain and intent to implement new communication practices.Objective #3: Determine how communication strategies about food production issues are cognitively processed by different audiences.To fulfill this objective an experiment will be conducted with undergraduate students, Florida citizens, and industry stakeholders. Respondents will take an online survey, which will present communication to them about a food production issue, and then ask questions to establish the depth of cognitive processing and resulting attitude. The communication provided to the respondents will be manipulated according to strategic communication principles into two treatments. Attitude will serve as a dependent variable, while variables such as the treatment, personal relevance, knowledge, source credibility, need for cognition, and others may serve as independent variables. Data will be analyzed to determine if and how the two different communication strategies influence cognitive processing variables. Additionally, the use of different audiences will allow for the researcher to understand how communication strategies may affect cognitivie processing differently depending on the audience.Research may be disseminated in workshops, white papers, publications in trade magazines, Extension publications, academic publications, and online learning modules to industry communicators and Extension agents. These dissemination methods will be evaluated based on the number of participants/views and when possible, measures of knowledge gain and intent to implement new communication practices.

Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience: During this reporting period industry communicators/professionals, extension personnel, and academic audiences have been reached by this project. Industry communicators and professionals include those representing agricultural organizations and commodities. These individuals have been reached through the dissemination of the results to date through presentations and webinars. Extension personnel have included agents serving in the state of Florida as well as a few specialists. Extension personnel have been reached through presentations and webinars. Lastly, academic audiences or those attending academic conferences, have been reached through the presentation of peer reviewed manuscripts. Additional academic persons have been reached through peer reviewed manuscript publications. Changes/Problems:I am leaving the University of Florida prior to fully completing this project. As a result, not all components of the objectives were able to be completed before my departure. I will continue to analyze the data collected and will appropriately recognize this HATCH project when data is published or presented. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The project has provided opportunities to educate industry professionals and Extension personnel about Floridians' perceptions and opinions of food safety, GMOs, food waste, and livestock care and use. Additionally, we have collected national data on livestock care and use so we are able to expand our knowledge of perceptions to a national scales. Presentation of the findings allows us to discuss ways to change opinions over time, ways to communicate to existing opinions, and provide audience members with an understanding of how public opinion is formed. Opportunities for professional development around specific communication strategies, such as framing, sources selection, and image selction have also surfaced. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? In the past year, results have been diseminated through industry presetations, descriptive reports, webinars, infographics, academic presenations, and academic publications. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1: The public agenda was assessed over 5 years and data has been pulled for the analysis of the media and policy agenda over the same time period. Unfortunately, I'm leaving the University of Florida. I will continue to finish this work and appropriately recognize this HATCH project. Obective 2:We have tested four different communication strategies. For the first, we examined how differently framed messages about food safety impacted attitudes (2 treatments). Additionally, we determined the effect of different sources on attitudes and trust toward GMOs (4 treatments). We also predicted the influence of different communication channels and sources or attitudes toward GMOs. Most recently we tested the impact of 2 images, with complimentary text, on attitudes and thought processes toward livestock produced for food (2 treatments). Objective 3:We have examined the topics of food safety and GMOs among consumer andundergraduate audiences. Additionally, we studied the topic of GMOs among an industry population and food waste and livestock care and useamong consumers. This data will be helpful in helping to identify good communication strategies for each audience. Publications, presentation, and educational components have been produced from each objective.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2018 Citation: Randolph, L. G., Rumble, J. N., & Carter, H. S. (In Review). Clear judgment or blind opinion: How opinion leaders view agriculture. Journal of Applied Communications.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2018 Citation: Ruth, T. K., & Rumble, J. N. (In Review). Consumers' evaluations of genetically modified food messages. Journal of Applied Communications.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2018 Citation: Georges, S. V., Narine, L. K., Rumble, J. N. (In Review). The role of cognition in consumers awareness of food policies. Journal of Agricultural & Food Information.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2018 Citation: Rumble, J. N., & Harsh, J. L. (In Review). Communicating complex issues: Examining communication preferences among demographic groups. Journal of Applied Communications.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Rumble, J. N., Lundy, L. K., Xu, B. M., & Anderson, S. (2017). Gender and GMOs: Understanding Floridians attitudes toward GMOs through the lens of Social Judgment Theory. Journal of Applied Communications, 101(4), 1-12. doi: 10.4148/1051-0834.1845
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Randolph, L. G., Rumble, J. N., & Carter, H. S. (2018, August). So, you think you can lead: Analyzing opinion leaders in relation to genetically modified foods. Paper to be presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Life and Human Sciences. Scottsdale, AZ.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Rumble, J. N., Rogers-Randolph, T. M., & Buck, E. (2018, August). Picturesque vs. Reality: Influence of messages on attitudes toward livestock care and use. Paper to be presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Life and Human Sciences. Scottsdale, AZ.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Ruth, T. K., & Rumble, J. N. (2018, February).�Florida consumers latitudes of acceptance, rejection, and noncommitment of genetically modified food information.� Paper presented at the 2018 Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists Agricultural Communications Division, Jacksonville, FL.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Randolph, L. G., Rumble, J. N., & Carter, H. S. (2018, February). Survey says: What data means when it comes to perceptions about agriculture. Paper presented at the 2018 Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists Agricultural Communications Division, Jacksonville, FL.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: De Sormeaux, A. S., Rumble, J. N., Lindsey, A. B. (2018, August). Communication strategies and household food waste in Florida. Poster abstract to be presented at the Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Life and Human Sciences, Scottsdale, AZ.

Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:During this reporting period industry communicators/professionals, extension personnel, and academic audiences have been reached by this project. Industry communicators and professionals include those representing agricultural organizations and commodities. These individuals have been reached through the dissemination of the results to date through presentations and webinars. Extension personnel have included agents serving in the state of Florida as well as a few specialists. Extension personnel have been reached through presentations and webinars. Lastly, academic audiences or those attending academic conferences, have been reached through the presentation of peer reviewed manuscripts. Additional academic persons have been reached through peer reviewed manuscript publications. Changes/Problems:There have been no major changes or problems. Recognition of this project has been inadvertantly been left off of some publications and we have put mechanisms in place to try and prevent this from happening in future. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided opportunities to educate industry professionals and Extension personnel about Floridians' perceptions and opinions of food safety, GMOs, food waste, and livestock care and use. Additionally, we have collected national data on livestock care and use so we are able to expand our knowledge of perceptions to a national scales. Presentation of the findings allows us to discuss ways to change opinions over time, ways to communicate to existing opinions, and provide audience members with an understanding of how public opinion is formed. Opportunities for professional development around specific communication strategies, such as framing, sources selection, and image selction have also surfaced. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?In the past year, results have been diseminated through industry presetations, descriptive reports, academic presenations, and academic publications. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Data collection has been completed for 5 years under objective 1. In this next year, much of the focus will be compiling the 5 years of data and looking for trends. In addition, analysis of the media and political agenda surround the topics of interest over the last 5 years will also commense. Objective 2 data will continue to be analyzed for additional presentation and publication. For objective 3, comparisons between the different audiences will be analyzed. Academic publication and presentation will occur for all 3 objectives.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1: The fifth year of data from the public agenda was collected on the topics of food safety, GMOs, and food waste. We are now preparing to pull samples of media and policy coverage for the same 5 year period to make comparisons and determine any influences. Additionally, national data was collected regarding livestock care and use. Objective 2: We have tested four different communication strategies. For the first, we examined how differently framed messages about food safety impacted attitudes (2 treatments). Additionally, we determined the effect of different sources on attitudes and trust toward GMOs (4 treatments). We also predicted the influence of different communication channels and sources or attitudes toward GMOs. Most recently we tested the impact of 2 images, with complimentary text, on attitudes and thought processes toward livestock produced for food (2 treatments). Objective 3: We have examined the topics of food safety and GMOs among consumer and undergraduate audiences. Additionally, we studied the topic of GMOs among an industry population and food waste among consumers. This data will be helpful in helping to identify good communication strategies for each audience. Publications, presentation, and educational components have been produced from each objective.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Leal, A., Rumble, J. N., & Lamm, A. J. (2017). Using critical thinking styles to inform food safety behavior communication campaigns. Journal of Applied Communications, 101(2), 19  32. doi:10.4148/1051-0834.1002
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Ruth, T. K., & Rumble, J. N. (2017). Whats in a name? The influence of source and persuasive communication on Florida consumers attitudes toward genetically modified food. Journal of Applied Communications, 101(2), 72  85. doi:10.4148/1051-0834.1006
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Rumble, J. N., Lundy, L. K., Xu, B. M., & Anderson, S. (Accepted). Gender and GMOs: Understanding attitudes of females and males toward GMOs through the lens of Social Judgment Theory. Journal of Applied Communications.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2018 Citation: Rumble, J. N., & Harsh, J. L. (In Review). Communicating complex issues: Examining communication preferences among demographic groups. Journal of Applied Communications
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2018 Citation: Georges, S. V., Narine, L. K., Rumble, J. N. (In Review). The role of cognition in consumers awareness of food policies. Journal of Agricultural & Food Information.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Ruth, T. K., & Rumble, J. N. (Accepted). Florida consumers latitudes of acceptance, rejection, and noncommitment of genetically modified food information. Paper accepted for presentation at the 2018 Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists Agricultural Communications Division, Jacksonville, FL.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Randolph, L. G., Rumble, J. N., & Carter, H. S. (Accepted). Survey says: What data means when it comes to perceptions about agriculture. Paper accepted for presentation at the 2018 Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists Agricultural Communications Division, Jacksonville, FL.

Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:During this reporting period industry communicators/professionals, extension personnel, and academic audiences have been reached by this project. Industry communicators and professionals include those representing agricultural organizations and commodities. These individuals have been reached through the dissemination of the results to date through presentations, handouts, and webinars. Extension personnel have included primarily agents serving in the state of Florida as well as a few specialists. Extension personnel have been reached through handouts and webinars. Lastly, academic audiences or those attending academic conferences, have been reached through the presentation of peer reviewed manuscripts. Changes/Problems:Due to an error in the initial submission of my hatch project, the original project was only initiated for one year. Thus, this is the first year any hatch funds have been received to support the research. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided opportunities to educate industry professionals and Extension about Floridians' perceptions and opinions of food safety, GMOs, and food waste. Presentation of the findings allows us to discuss ways to change opinions over time, ways to communicate to existing opinions, and provide audience members with an understanding of how public opinion is formed. Opportunities for professional development around specific communication strategies have also surfaced. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been diseminated through industry presetations, webinars, infographic handouts, a video, descriptive reports, academic presenations, and academic publications. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next reporting period, data collection under objective 1 will occur. The 2017 collection will be the last of 5 years of data. After the 2017 data collection period, the political agenda will be analyzed for influence and issue presence over those five years. The data on communication strategies, under objective 2, will continue to be assessed for additional presentation/publication. For objective 3, an industry sample will be targeted. Academic publication and presetation will occur for all 3 objectives. Lastly, the researcher is exploring collecting perceptions of food issues including food safety and animal welfare among a National sample of consumers.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1: Under objective 1, data has been collected from the public agenda for four consecutive years. Data will be collected again in 2017. An asssement of the public and policy agenda will then be compared to the public agenda to see any potential influences. Objective 2: Under objective 2, differently framed messages about food safety and the effect of source credibility on messages about GMOs has been examined. In each instance, two groups were randomly assigned to 1 of the 2 food safety messages or 1 of the 4 GMO messages, each with a different source. In addition, the influence of communication channels and sources on attitudes toward GMOs is currently being assessed. Objective 3: Under objective 3, an examination of food safety and GMOs has been studied among undergraduates and consumers. In addition, food waste has been studied among consumers. These topics have yet to be studied among an industry population. Publications, presentation, and educational components have been produced from each objective.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ruth, T. K., Rumble, J. N., Gay, K. D., & Rodriguez, M. T. (2016). The importance of source: A mixed methods analysis of undergraduate students attitudes toward genetically modified food. Journal of Agricultural Education, 57(3), 145-161. doi: 10.5032/jae.2016.03145
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2016 Citation: Leal, A., Rumble, J. N., & Lamm, A. J. (In Review). Using critical thinking styles to inform food safety behavior communication campaigns. Journal of Applied Communications
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ruth, T. K., & Rumble, J. N. (In Review). Whats in a name? The influence of source and persuasive communication on Florida consumers attitudes toward genetically modified food. Journal of Applied Communications.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2017 Citation: Leal, A., Ruth, T. K., Rumble, J. N., & Simonne, A. H. (2017). Exploring Florida residents' food safety knowledge and behaviors: A generational comparison. Food Control, 73, 1195-1202. doi: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2016.10.040
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2016 Citation: Martin, B., Rumble, J. N., Anderson, S., & Lundy, L. K. (In Review). Consumer perceptions and attitudes of genetically modified foods: The influence of demographics through the lens of social judgement theory. Science Communication.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Martin, B., Rumble, J. N., Anderson, S., & Lundy, L. K. (Accepted). Consumer perceptions and attitudes of genetically modified foods: The influence of demographics through the lens of social judgement theory. Proceedings of the Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists Agricultural Communications Division, Mobile, AL.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ruth, T. K., & Rumble, J. N. (2016, February). Influence of persuasive communication on Florida consumers attitude toward genetically modified food. Proceedings of the Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists Agricultural Communications Division, San Antonio, TX. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/a/extension.org/saasagcomm/proceedings/-2016proceedings
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Harsh, J., Rumble, J. N., & Anderson, S. (Accepted). Seeing through GM information: Exploring perceived transparency difference in information channel and source. Poster to be presented at the at the Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists Conference, Agricultural Communication Section, Mobile, AL.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Ruth, T. K., Warner, A. J., & Rumble, J. N. (Accepted). Florida consumers latitudes of acceptance toward GM food messages. Poster to be presented at the at the Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists Conference, Agricultural Communication Section, Mobile, AL.

Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:During this reporting period industry communicators/professionals, extension personnel, and academic audiences have been reached by this project. Industry communicators and professionals include those representing agricultural organizations and commodities. These individuals have been reached through the dissemination of the results to date through presentations, handouts, and webinars. Extension personnel includes primarily agents serving in the state of Forida as well as a few specialtists. Extension personnel have been reached through handouts and webinars. Lastly, academic audiences, or those attending academic conferences, have been reached through the presentation of peer reviewed mauscripts. Changes/Problems:Due to an error in the intital submission of my Hatch project the project was only initiatied for 1 year and the project was not eligible for Hatch funds during that time. Therefore, the project has commensed thus far under non-NIFA resources. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided opportunities to educate industry professionals and Extension about Floridians perceptions and opinions of food safety and GMOs. Presentation of the findings allows us to discuss ways to change opinion over time, ways to communicate to existing opinions, and provide audience members with an understanding of how public opinion is formed. Opportunities for professional development around specific communication strategies have also surfaced. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated through industry presentations, webinars, infographic handouts, a video, descriptive reports, and presentations at academic conferences. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period public opinion data will be collected again under objective 1. Consumer data will also be collected in 2017. After the 2017 collection period the media agenda and political agenda will be analyzed for issue presence during the 5 years of consumer data collection. Under objective 2 an additional communication strategy will be tested to determine any effects on attitudes, opinions, and trust. Lastly, under objective 3 data from industry representatives will be gathered.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1: Under Objective 1 data has been collected from the public agenda for three consecutive years. This data will be collected again in 2016 and 2017. Objective 2: Under Objective 2, differently framed messages about food safety and the effective of source credibility on messages about GMOs has been examined. In each instance two different groups of consumers were randomly assigned 1 of the 2 food safety messages or 1 of 4 GMOs messages, each with a different source. Objective 3: An examiniation of food safety and GMOs has been studied among undergraduates and consumers. It has yet to be studied among industry representatives.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Leal, A., Rumble, J. N., & Lamm, A. J. (2015, February). Floridian's in the 21st century: Exploring the relationship between critical thinking styles and food safety behaviors. Research paper presented at the 2015 Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists Conference, Agricultural Communication Section, Atlanta, GA.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Roper, C. G., & Rumble, J. N. (2015, February). Targeting true contaminants: Florida resident perceptions of animal and vegetable product food safety and concerns associated with production and preparation practices. Research paper presented at the 2015 Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists Conference, Agricultural Communication Section, Atlanta, GA.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Ruth, T. K., Gay, K. D., Rumble, J. N., & Rodriguez, M. T. (2015, May). Influences on undergraduate students' opinions toward genetically modified food. Paper submitted for presentation at the national meeting of the American Association for Agricultural Education, San Antonio, TX.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ruth, T. K., & Rumble, J. N. (Accepted). Influence of persuasive communication of Florida consumers attitude toward genetically modified food. Paper accepted for presentation at the 2016 Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists Conference, Agricultural Communication Section, San Antonio, TX.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Ruth, T. (2015). The influence of persuasive communication on Florida consumers' change in attitude and change in risk perception of genetically modified food. (Master's Thesis). University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.