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Consumer Knowledge and Risk Perceptions of Avian Influenza¹

J. L. Hsu^*,2, K. E. Liu, M.-H. Huang and H. J. Lee^*

^* Department of Marketing, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan; Department of Economics, National Chung Cheng University, Chia-Yi 62102, Taiwan; and Department of Asia-Pacific Industrial and Business Management, National University of Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung 81148, Taiwan

² Corresponding author: jlu{at}dragon.nchu.edu.tw

This study examined consumer risk perceptions and knowledge of avian influenza and its linkage to behavioral changes in chicken consumption. A consumer survey was administered in 3 metropolitan areas in Taiwan in 2007. Multivariate analyses were utilized in this study to analyze data. Findings in this study indicated that respondents who were more knowledgeable of avian influenza with relatively high levels of risk perceptions would be likely to stay away from birds and the crowd. Respondents with relatively low levels of avian influenza knowledge were likely to prefer not eating chicken at all under a possible threat of avian influenza outbreaks. Respondents with low risk perception levels would be more likely to maintain usual chicken consumption than those with high risk perception levels if outbreaks of avian influenza occurred. Contributions of this study are to provide new insights into knowledge and risk perceptions of avian influenza and to reveal behavioral changes in chicken consumption in an area that a pandemic situation like avian influenza has not occurred but under a possible threat. Findings in this study would be beneficial to government administration and industry managers in designing effective information communication for educational purposes to ease possible effect on the industry as well as the consumer market if outbreaks had occurred in Taiwan.

Key Words: avian influenza • consumer knowledge • risk perception • chicken consumption

¹ This research was supported by Grant 96AS-14.6.2-BQ-B2 of the Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan in Taiwan. Assistance from Kelsey Jing-Ru Hung (National Chung Hsing University) in this project was acknowledged.