Exploring Public Perception Towards Gene‐Edited and Genetically Modified Foods in the United States: An Application of the Spiral of Silence Theory

ABSTRACT Gene editing is a novel technology whose adoption depends on public perception. The spiral of silence explains the formation of public perception wherein vocal individuals play a significant role. We use the spiral of silence theory to understand the perception of gene‐edited (GE) vis‐à‐vis genetically modified (GM) technologies. Herein, we compare the vocal individuals' knowledge and acceptance of GE vis‐a‐vis GM technologies within and across plant and animal products to those of nonvocal individuals. We find that vocal individuals have relatively lower knowledge about GE than GM than nonvocal individuals. We also observe that vocal individuals are less likely to accept GE products than GM products. This may be due to an anchoring effect of GM technology, which is spilling over to GE technologies, negatively impacting public perception of GE technologies. Finally, vocal individuals are less likely to accept animal products than plants in the context of both GM and GE compared to nonvocal individuals. Our study recommends that communication strategies address both the content and the audience of awareness campaigns. Specifically, efforts should focus on educating the public about GE technologies, particularly GE animal products and on targeting vocal individuals to improve overall acceptance.