IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/ajagec/v103y2021i2p486-497.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

COVID‐19 Induced Stigma in U.S. Consumers: Evidence and Implications

Author

Listed:
  • Brandon R. McFadden
  • Trey Malone
  • Maik Kecinski
  • Kent D. Messer

Abstract

Though both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration claim that there is no evidence that handling and consuming food causes COVID‐19, many consumers may not be convinced. To assess concerns about potential COVID‐19 transmission from food, we surveyed more than 3,000 consumers in May, June, and July of 2020 using a nationally representative panel. Despite evidence to the contrary, consumers express multiple concerns about their food and how and where it is served and transmission of the virus. Between concerns about transmission of COVID‐19 while shopping for food versus consuming food, more consumers were concerned about exposure while shopping; however, the number of consumers concerned about transmission from consuming food steadily increased over the months of data collection. We also found that Black respondents were more concerned about COVID‐19 transmission from certain staple foods, suggesting that COVID‐19 could intensify standing racial inequities related to nutrition and health. Overall, these findings suggest that we may be observing the early stages of evolving food stigmas that could persist in the future and reshape how U.S. consumers shop for food and the foods they consume.

Suggested Citation

  • Brandon R. McFadden & Trey Malone & Maik Kecinski & Kent D. Messer, 2021. "COVID‐19 Induced Stigma in U.S. Consumers: Evidence and Implications," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 103(2), pages 486-497, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:ajagec:v:103:y:2021:i:2:p:486-497
    DOI: 10.1111/ajae.12188
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/ajae.12188
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/ajae.12188?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kecinski, Maik & Kerley Keisner, Deborah & Messer, Kent D. & Schulze, William D., 2016. "Stigma mitigation and the importance of redundant treatments," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 44-52.
    2. Trey Malone & K. Aleks Schaefer & Felicia Wu, 2021. "The Razor's Edge of “Essential” Labor in Food and Agriculture," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(1), pages 368-381, March.
    3. McFadden, Brandon R. & Lusk, Jayson L., 2015. "Cognitive biases in the assimilation of scientific information on global warming and genetically modified food," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 35-43.
    4. Kent Messer & Harry Kaiser & Collin Payne & Brian Wansink, 2011. "Can generic advertising alleviate consumer concerns over food scares?," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(12), pages 1535-1549.
    5. Carlos Arnade & Linda Calvin & Fred Kuchler, 2009. "Consumer Response to a Food Safety Shock: The 2006 Food-Borne Illness Outbreak of E. coli O157: H7 Linked to Spinach," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 31(4), pages 734-750, December.
    6. Richard H. Thaler, 2018. "From Cashews to Nudges: The Evolution of Behavioral Economics," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 108(6), pages 1265-1287, June.
    7. Jill E. Hobbs, 2020. "Food supply chains during the COVID‐19 pandemic," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 68(2), pages 171-176, June.
    8. Kent D. Messer & Marco Costanigro & Harry M. Kaiser, 2017. "Labeling Food Processes: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 39(3), pages 407-427.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Gao, Yixuan & Malone, Trey & Schaefer, K. Aleks & Myers, Robert J., 2023. "Disentangling Short-Run COVID-19 Price Impact Pathways in the US Corn Market," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 48(2), May.
    2. Zeballos, Eliana & Dong, Xiao, 2021. "The Localized Effects of the COVID-19 Recession on Food Sales," 2021 Annual Meeting, August 1-3, Austin, Texas 313996, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    3. Kuan-Ming Huang & Ana Claudia Sant’Anna & Xiaoli Etienne, 2021. "How did Covid-19 impact US household foods? an analysis six months in," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(9), pages 1-17, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Savchenko, Olesya M. & Kecinski, Maik & Li, Tongzhe & Messer, Kent D. & Xu, Huidong, 2018. "Fresh foods irrigated with recycled water: A framed field experiment on consumer responses," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 103-112.
    2. Sean F. Ellis & Maik Kecinski & Kent D. Messer & Clive Lipchin, 2022. "Consumer perceptions after long‐term use of alternative irrigation water: A field experiment in Israel," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(2), pages 1003-1020, June.
    3. Kecinski, Maik & Messer, Kent D. & Peo, Audrey J., 2018. "When Cleaning Too Much Pollution Can Be a Bad Thing: A Field Experiment of Consumer Demand for Oysters," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 686-695.
    4. Whiting, Alix & Kecinski, Maik & Li, Tongzhe & r, Kent D. Messer & Parker, Julia, 2019. "The importance of selecting the right messenger: A framed field experiment on recycled water products," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 1-8.
    5. Li, Tongzhe & Bernard, John C. & Johnston, Zachary A. & Messer, Kent D. & Kaiser, Harry M., 2017. "Consumer preferences before and after a food safety scare: An experimental analysis of the 2010 egg recall," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 25-34.
    6. Kent D. Messer & Marco Costanigro & Harry M. Kaiser, 2017. "Labeling Food Processes: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 39(3), pages 407-427.
    7. Costanigro, Marco & Scozzafava, Gabriele & Casini, Leonardo, 2019. "Vertical differentiation via multi-tier geographical indications and the consumer perception of quality: The case of Chianti wines," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 246-259.
    8. Khachatryan, Hayk & Wei, Xuan & Rihn, Alicia, 2021. "Effects of pollinator related information on consumer preference for neonicotinoid labeling," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 24(6), April.
    9. Fang, Da & Guo, Yan, 2022. "Flow of goods to the shock of COVID-19 and toll-free highway policy: Evidence from logistics data in China," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    10. Blake-Rath, Robyn & Grote, Ulrike, 2022. "Resilienz und Digitalisierung in der deutschen Agrarwirtschaft: Lehren aus der COVID-19-Pandemie," 62nd Annual Conference, Stuttgart, Germany, September 7-9, 2022 329610, German Association of Agricultural Economists (GEWISOLA).
    11. Bovay, John & Ferrier, Peyton & Zhen, Chen, 2018. "Estimated Costs for Fruit and Vegetable Producers To Comply With the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Rule," Economic Information Bulletin 276220, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    12. Cao, Ying (Jessica) & Cranfield, John & Chen, Chen & Widowski, Tina, 2021. "Heterogeneous informational and attitudinal impacts on consumer preferences for eggs from welfare enhanced cage systems," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    13. Margherita Bernabei & Silvia Colabianchi & Francesco Costantino, 2022. "Actions and Strategies for Coronavirus to Ensure Supply Chain Resilience: A Systemic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-19, October.
    14. Yokessa, Maïmouna & Marette, Stéphan, 2019. "A Review of Eco-labels and their Economic Impact," International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics, now publishers, vol. 13(1-2), pages 119-163, April.
    15. Nadia A Streletskaya & Jura Liaukonyte & Harry M Kaiser, 2019. "Absence labels: How does information about production practices impact consumer demand?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(6), pages 1-18, June.
    16. Nguyen, Ly & Schmitz, Andrew, 2022. "The Welfare Impacts of Covid-19 on U.S. Salmon Sector," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322351, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    17. Anca C. Farcas & Charis M. Galanakis & Carmen Socaciu & Oana L. Pop & Dorin Tibulca & Adriana Paucean & Mirela A. Jimborean & Melinda Fogarasi & Liana C. Salanta & Maria Tofana & Sonia A. Socaci, 2020. "Food Security during the Pandemic and the Importance of the Bioeconomy in the New Era," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    18. Rihn, Alicia L. & Jensen, Kimberly & Hughes, David W., 2022. "Tennessee's Wine Industry: Consumer Perceptions, Quality Assurance Programs and Marketing Strategies," Extension Reports 319853, University of Tennessee, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    19. Meuwissen, Miranda & Feindt, Peter & Slijper, Thomas & Spiegel, Alisa & Finger, Robert & de Mey, Yann & Paas, Wim & Termeer, Katrien & Poortvliet, P. Marijn & Peneva, Mariya & Urquhart, Julie & Vigani, 2021. "Impact of Covid-19 on farming systems in Europe through the lens of resilience thinking," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 191.
    20. F. Bailey Norwood & Derrell Peel, 2021. "Supply Chain Mapping to Prepare for Future Pandemics," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(1), pages 412-429, March.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:ajagec:v:103:y:2021:i:2:p:486-497. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://doi.org/10.1111/(ISSN)1467-8276 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.