The (Nano-)Discrimination of Consumers for Nano-Inside Technologies

We explore how consumers’ willingness to buy is driven by perceptions on potential risks and potential benefits for different types of nano-inside applications. Our empirical approach follows a two-stage estimation: the first stage focuses on consumers’ perceptions toward risks and benefits; the second stage quantifies how perceived benefits and risks influence the willingness to buy. We found that perceived benefits are major drivers of the willingness to buy, whereas the fear of potential risks has a limited impact: we found stronger results for younger and more educated respondents, who should be targeted by marketing and information campaigns. Notably, the beliefs are very similar across nano-inside applications. The studies on consumers perceptions toward benefits and risks of nano-applications in the food industry fall short of providing evidence on consumers’ attitudes toward nano-inside applications in several national contexts. Our analysis fills this gap and allows us to conclude on the Italian market.