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EmailNumbers listed in tables are percentages.
Using a 1 to 5 scale, where 1 is not at all influential and 5 is very influential, how influential are food labels in your food buying decisions?
| Influential (4-5) | 61 |
| Some influence (3) | 25 |
| Not influential (1-2) | 13 |
How often do you think you consume genetically modified organisms, often called GMOs?
| Every day | 21 |
| At least once a week | 21 |
| At least once a month | 8 |
| Rarely | 15 |
| Never | 7 |
| I'm not sure | 28 |
Using a 1 to 5 scale, where 1 is much lower than an average person and 5 is much higher than an average person, how would you rank your understanding of the global food system?
| Higher than average (4-5) | 38 |
| Average (3) | 43 |
| Lower than average (1-2) | 19 |
How often do you seek information about where your food was grown and how it was produced?
| Every day | 14 |
| At least once a week | 20 |
| At least once a month | 17 |
| Rarely | 35 |
| Never | 15 |
Using a 1 to 5 scale, where 1 is do not trust at all and 5 is completely trust, how much do you trust the following individuals or groups when it comes to the safety of food?
Academic scientists
| Trust or completely trust (4-5) | 52 |
| Neither trust nor distrust (3) | 32 |
| Distrust or completely distrust (1-2) | 15 |
Government scientists (FDA)
| Trust or completely trust (4-5) | 48 |
| Neither trust nor distrust (3) | 32 |
| Distrust or completely distrust (1-2) | 20 |
Industry scientists
| Trust or completely trust (4-5) | 33 |
| Neither trust nor distrust (3) | 38 |
| Distrust or completely distrust (1-2) | 29 |
When purchasing food for your family, do you avoid products containing the following?
Genetically modified ingredients (GMOs)
| Yes | 33 |
| No | 25 |
| Sometimes | 31 |
| I am not familiar with this ingredient | 11 |
Chemicals
| Yes | 41 |
| No | 24 |
| Sometimes | 29 |
| I am not familiar with this ingredient | 6 |
Processed foods
| Yes | 33 |
| No | 27 |
| Sometimes | 36 |
| I am not familiar with this ingredient | 5 |
Bisphenol A (BPA)
| Yes | 32 |
| No | 18 |
| Sometimes | 18 |
| I am not familiar with this ingredient | 32 |
Titanium Dioxide
| Yes | 22 |
| No | 16 |
| Sometimes | 13 |
| I am not familiar with this ingredient | 49 |
When it comes to nutrition and health, where do you turn most frequently for information?
| Friends/family | 19 |
| My doctor | 27 |
| Books | 7 |
| Magazines (i.e. "Dr. Oz," "Oprah") | 5 |
| Blogs | 6 |
| Television (i.e. "The Doctors," "The Chew") | 9 |
| Social media | 11 |
| Scientific journals/academic research | 15 |
Using a 1 to 5 scale where 1 is not at all likely and 5 is very likely, how likely would you be to purchase foods that look and taste identical to meat, but are based on ingredients that are produced artificially?
| Likely (4-5) | 33 |
| Neither likely nor unlikely (3) | 19 |
| Unlikely (1-2) | 48 |
Using a 1 to 5 scale, where 1 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree, how much do you agree or disagree with the following statement? I avoid eating foods that contain chemicals.
| Agree (4-5) | 53 |
| Neither agree nor disagree (3) | 31 |
| Disagree (1-2) | 16 |
Please indicate whether you think the following statement is true or false: All bacteria are harmful.
| Yes | 17 |
| No | 75 |
| Not sure | 8 |
Methodology
The Michigan State University Food Literacy and Engagement Poll was conducted online between February 13 and 15, 2018, among 2,125 U.S. residents aged 18 and over. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. The poll is administered by Toluna, NA, a leader in online research that manages one of the world’s largest internet-based research panels with more than 4.5 million registered and active users.
All surveys are subject to multiple sources of error. Most of these errors are often impossible to quantify. In addition to sampling error, these errors include coverage error, non-response error, interviewer bias when appropriate, and the error associated with how a question is asked or the response options given. The overall margin of error would be 3 percentage points at the widest interval.
© 2018 Michigan State University
For more on the Michigan State University Food Literacy and Engagement Poll, click here.
