System justification and the perception of food risks

Abstract

In the context of daily food consumption, individuals have to evaluate their health and environmental risks based on information provided by the institutions governing food security. At the same time, they have to trust the institutions that both protect them and provide risk information. Study 1 examined how trust in EU policies that assure food safety as well as trust in the information provided by the EU about food risks is associated with risk concern and the perceived personal control of food risks. Eurobarometer 73.5, providing data about Finnish citizens (N = 1,007), was analyzed with structural equation modeling (SEM). Trust in EU policies was associated with a low level of risk concern and a high level of risk control, whereas trust in information was associated with a high level of risk concern and a low level of risk control. Study 2 examined how system justification tendencies are associated with the perceived climate risks of one's own food system, the perception of climate change as a national threat, as well as climate-friendly food choices. University students' (N = 350) responses to a questionnaire were analyzed with SEM. The perception of climate change as a national threat was associated with food system justification and denial of climate change, whereas knowledge was associated with climate-friendly food choices indirectly through decreased food system justification. These findings increase our understanding of system justification in the context of risk perception and suggest how its effect could be overcome with interventions that reduce perceiving risks as national threats.

Working for the Hierarchical System: The Role of Meritocratic Ideology in the Endorsement of Corruption

“…The present research empirically extended the scope of the predictive power of system-justifying belief beyond mere intergroup-related aspects (Blasi & Jost, 2006;Calogero & Jost, 2011;Jost, 2001;Jost & Banaji, 1994;Jost et al, 2004;Jost et al, 2012;Jost & van der Toorn, 2012;Kay & Jost, 2003;Kay et al, 2005;Kuang & Liu, 2012). In line with other recent research, for instance, the impact of system-justifying beliefs on environmental protection (Feygina et al, 2010), food risk (Vainio, M€ akiniemi, & Paloniemi, 2014) and Occupy Wall Street (Hennes et al, 2012), the present research investigates the relationships between a typical system-justifying belief, meritocratic ideology, and corruption, as well as providing empirical evidence that system-justifying beliefs negatively predict corruption perception and positively predict corrupt intention. It is worthwhile to further extend the scope of the predictive power of system-justifying beliefs on many other social issues.…”

Imagining better societies: A social psychological framework for the study of utopian thinking and collective action

“…Researchers around the world have documented connections between the endorsement of system‐justifying beliefs and ideologies, on one hand, and resistance to pro‐environmental initiatives designed to address the problem of climate change, on the other (e.g., Jost, ; Leviston & Walker, ; Vainio, Mäkiniemi, & Paloniemi, ). System justification is also associated with support for conservative and authoritarian political leaders and parties and opposition to progressive, system‐challenging leaders and parties in such varied contexts as the United States, Argentina, Lebanon, and New Zealand (Badaan et al, ).…”

Weighing the Risks of Nuclear Energy and Climate Change: Trust in Different Information Sources, Perceived Risks, and Willingness to Pay for Alternatives to Nuclear Power

“…The perception of climate change as a very serious problem, in turn, is associated with being younger, having a high level of education, and being female . Moreover, a positive attitude toward climate change mitigation is associated with a left‐wing political orientation in Finland …”

“…Trust has been extensively studied in the context of risk management. Trust is closely associated with risk perception and the acceptance of risk information . Trust has been defined in many ways and several dimensions of trust have been identified.…”

“…(20) Moreover, a positive attitude toward climate change mitigation is associated with a left-wing political orientation in Finland. (21)…”