Living standards shape individual attitudes on genetically modified food around the world

Agricultural biotechnology can help to sustainably intensify food production, but negative public opinion hinders the deployment of genetically modified crops and livestock. Previous research shows negative consumer attitudes in the Global North to be primarily driven by limited trust and religiosity, but public opinion in the Global South remains largely unexplored. Here, analyzing individual attitudes across 142 countries with a random forest model, I show that people in low-income countries are significantly more positive towards genetically modified food than those living in high-income countries. Globally, individual attitudes are primarily determined by living standard, agricultural output, and prevalence of undernourishment. Country income levels also moderate how demographic characteristics predict attitudes on bioengineered food. Highly educated urban men are most optimistic about agricultural biotechnology in high-income countries, while women, individuals living in rural areas, and those with little education are the most hopeful demographic in low-income countries. These results indicate that individual views are largely determined by the societal benefits expected from agricultural biotechnology and suggest that the conditions for further deregulation of genetically modified food are most favorable in low-income countries.