Predictors of attitudes towards genetically modified foods among university students: Gender, environmentalism, and food neophobia

Understanding university students' attitudes regarding genetically modified foods (GMOs) and the factors that influence their attitudes is crucial for both academic and societal contexts. This research aimed to identify the determinants of university students' attitudes towards GMOs, specifically examining the influence of gender, food neophobia, and environmental awareness as predictors. The study conducted a cross-sectional analytical face-to-face interview technique with students from December 2024 to January 2025. The questionnaire included socio-demographic data, general eating habits, the Attitude Towards Genetically Modified Organisms Scale, the Food Neophobia Scale, and the environmentalism sub-dimension of the Lifestyle of Healthy and Sustainable Scale. The majority of participants (75.2%) were female, while 24.8% were male. The mean age of the participants was 21.7±1.5 years, and their mean BMI was 23.1±3.7 kg/m². In response to inquiries on legal regulations concerning GMOs in Türkiye, 21.6% of females and 17.1% of males affirmed the existence of such regulations (p