Public Discourse on Plant Breeding

Project description

What is the research project about?

The project investigates how people in Switzerland understand and evaluate new plant breeding tech-niques (NBTs) and how communication can better respond to their concerns. The project begins with an analysis of how genetically modified organisms and plant breeding has been portrayed in Swiss print media over past decades and across different language regions. It also surveys a diverse sam-ple of the Swiss population to understand how different people mentally represent risks and benefits associated with these topics and which media they rely on. Finally, it tests which communication ap-proaches work best to inform different audiences in a changing media landscape by comparing con-tents and channels (written articles, short videos, chatbots).

Why is the research project important?

NBTs have potential for food production but may also present risks. A well-informed public is key to successfully regulate such technologies democratically. However, there is a lack of detailed knowledge about how different groups think about these technologies and which communication ap-proaches work best for each audience. This project fills these gaps by analysing media debates, iden-tifying different audience groups and testing different communication strategies. The findings will help policymakers, scientists and other stakeholders communicate knowledge on NBTs more clearly and support a well-informed public discourse in Switzerland.