ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Environmental Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1565928
The Role of Actively Open-Minded Thinking in Willingness to Take Civic and Political Action on Genome-Edited Food in the United States and Switzerland
Provisionally accepted
- 1University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
- 2HF Partners, Zurich, Switzerland
- 3Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States
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Actively open-minded thinking (AOT) is a set of standards for good thinking, including avoiding overconfidence and a willingness to change one’s mind in response to new information. While AOT is theorized to aid individuals in navigating complex and polarizing issues, little prior literature has examined the role of AOT in public responses to emerging technologies. This study examines how engagement in AOT relates to civic and political action on genome editing. This controversial technology modifies plant genes for improved traits, offering transformative possibilities but bearing associated risks and uncertainties. We conducted surveys in the United States and Switzerland, two countries with different regulations toward genome-edited foods. We find inconsistent evidence for predictions between AOT and willingness to engage in actions supporting or opposing genome editing; further, in several cases, relationships varied by country. We discuss the implications for future research on AOT and public engagement in emerging technologies.
Keywords: Genome editing, New Genomic Techniques, public perceptions of emerging technologies, Actively open-minded thinking, Civic engagement
Received: 23 Jan 2025; Accepted: 02 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Segrè Cohen, Bearth and Drummond Otten. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Alex Segrè Cohen, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.