The Effect of Knowledge of In-vitro Meat on Attitudes Towards Science

Abstract

The purpose of this literature review based thesis is to create a test that can be used to measure the effect that a person’s knowledge about In-vitro meat will have on their attitudes towards science in general, while measuring people’s attitudes towards In-vitro meat. Due to time constraints this thesis is a literature review and no empirical testing has been done. First the thesis will discuss the need for a clear definition of what consists of an attitude and why most of the research testing people’s attitudes towards science does not provide a definition of what an attitude is and what this means for that research. Second the thesis will explore and discuss the differences between attitudes towards science in general and attitudes toward a specific aspect of science. In-vitro meat is used as an example. The thesis discusses how attitudes toward the two are distinct but not independent and how the two need to be considered together when discussing or testing attitudes. The thesis will then look into the literature surrounding how to measure attitudes towards both science in general and specific aspects of science. Research into In-vitro meat, a new field of meat production which is commonly confused with Genetically Engineered foods, will be used as an example of how to measure people’s attitudes towards science in general and people’s attitudes towards specific aspects of science. Due to the presence of the ‘ick’ factor of In-vitro meat and the lack of research into people’s attitudes towards it, a parallel is drawn between it and algae farming, another alternative food production method about which there is some research, in order to gauge people’s attitudes towards In-vitro meat. The thesis then concludes with a discussion about whether or not In-vitro meat can change people’s attitudes towards science in general. A framework on how to test whether people’s knowledge of In-vitro meat can influence their attitudes towards science in general while measuring their attitudes towards In-vitro meat will also be proposed and discussed.