Research On The Relationship Between Consumers’ Food Safety Risk Perception And Information Searching Behavior In Shanxi Province:A Moderated Mediation Model

Objective:Food safety has always been a topic of great concern to consumers.Food safety is related to human health and life safety,and its importance is self-evident.Due to the characteristics of information asymmetry in the food industry,there are often some differences between consumers’ food safety risk perception and the current situation of food safety.There is a close relationship between consumers’ food safety risk perception and their information search behavior,and they affect each other.Therefore,it is necessary to study and analyze consumers’ information search behavior,so as to give them appropriate guidance,and take effective food safety information release and risk communication strategies in time.Based on the risp model,this study carried out the research on consumers’ food safety information search behavior,explored the relationship between consumers’ food safety risk perception and information search behavior,and the influencing factors of consumers’ food safety information search behavior,in order to provide decision-making reference for promoting the exchange of food safety risks and enhance consumers’ food safety confidence.Method:In this study,a multi-stage stratified random sampling method was used to investigate consumers’ food safety risk cognition in Shanxi Province.A total of 2275 questionnaires were sent out,and 1991 valid questionnaires were sent out.The effective recovery rate was87.52%.SPSS 24.0 software was used for descriptive analysis,one-way ANOVA,nonparametric test(rank sum test of multiple independent samples),chi square test,binary logistic regression analysis and Pearson correlation analysis.Mplus 8.3 software was used for mediating effect and regulatory effect test.Results:(1)Consumers’ perception of food safety risk is generally high,with an average score of(89.96 ± 16.68).The scores of each dimension of consumers’ food safety risk perception from high to low are severity,controllability,familiarity and possibility.There were significant differences in the total score of consumers’ food safety risk perception in terms of gender,family per capita monthly income,permanent residence and risk experience(P<0.05).Female consumers’ perception of food safety risk is higher than that of men;Consumers who live in cities and towns have higher food safety risk perception than rural consumers;Consumers with a per capita monthly income of 2001～5000 yuan have higher food safety risk perception than other groups of consumers;Consumers with food risk experience have higher food safety risk perception than consumers without risk experience.(2)In terms of the utilization degree of food safety information,consumers have higher utilization frequency of production date,shelf life,freshness,brand and nutritional components,and lower utilization degree of product quality certification,food allergen information,food additives,traceability and origin.In terms of access to food safety information,the top three are mobile phones,the Internet and official news.The total score of consumers’ negative emotional response was(5.65±1.79),which was at the medium level;Consumers’ information demand for food safety information is at a high level,with a total score of(7.06±1.97).(3)According to the results of univariate analysis of consumers’ food safety information search behavior,it was found that there were significant differences in information search behavior among consumers of different ages,occupations,educational levels,risk experience,risk perception and information needs(P<0.05).Further binary logistic regression analysis found that consumers’ education level,risk experience,risk perception and information demand will affect consumers’ information search behavior to varying degrees.(4)Pearson correlation analysis shows that there is a significant positive correlation between consumers’ food safety risk perception,information demand and information search behavior.Through the test of intermediary effect and regulation effect,it is found that information demand plays a complete intermediary role between risk perception and information search behavior;Negative emotional response significantly regulates the intermediary role of information demand between risk perception and information search behavior.The specific regulatory role occurs in the first half of the path,that is,negative emotional response regulates the relationship between risk perception and information demand.Conclusions:(1)Government departments should strengthen the publicity of relevant food safety knowledge,reduce consumer panic,improve consumers’ ability to identify food safety information,and narrow the difference between consumers’ subjective risk perception and the objective status of food safety;(2)The government and relevant departments should give full play to their functions and improve the food safety information disclosure system to ensure the timely,effective and correct publication of food safety information;Producers,enterprises and distributors should strictly control food safety and quality,follow the food labeling system,improve the food traceability system,meet the information needs of consumers,and help consumers avoid food safety risks to the greatest extent;(3)We should standardize the media behavior,improve the professional ability and literacy of the media industry,and improve the quality of media supervision,so as to reduce the negative emotional response of consumers;(4)We should increase the participation of consumers and third-party organizations and promote food safety and social co governance.