Attribute Dynamics and Information Effects on the Acceptability of Gene Edited Orange Juice

Citrus greening has severely impacted orange trees in America, causing significant damage to farmers and industry. Gene editing has been proposed as a potential solution, but understanding consumer acceptance of the resulting gene edited products is essential to evaluate the marketability of this potential solution.

We conducted a hypothetical discrete choice experiment to analyze consumer preferences for gene edited orange juice. We further explored how consumer willingness-to-pay (WTP) for the gene edited attribute varies depending on the total number of attributes presented in the experiment and how information about the benefits of the technology influences WTP across the different attribute scenarios.

We find that, on average, consumers devalue the gene edited attribute, but their WTP for the attribute increases when information is provided. Importantly, we also observe that the number of attributes significantly impacts the WTP estimates, but the effect is moderated when information is provided.