Gaining Family Farms or Losing Aquaculture: Examining Framing Effects on Support for Aquaculture in Maine and the U.S.: Fid-Bau Portal

Gaining Family Farms or Losing Aquaculture: Examining Framing Effects on Support for Aquaculture in Maine and the U.S.

Rickard, Laura N. / Noblet, Caroline L. / Subasinghe, Sandaruwan / Miller-Gonzalez, Alissa

Aquaculture is often touted as a solution to feeding the global population. Yet, farming seafood is not without drawbacks. Should the domestic industry continue to expand, U.S. residents will increasingly encounter local operations or purchase farmed seafood, yet how they weigh the benefits and risks of these aquaculture products and projects remains unclear. Even less is known about how communication emphasizing the benefits of aquaculture expansion—or the losses associated with avoiding it—influence emotions and behavioral intentions. We address this gap by exploring the effects on consumer support for aquaculture of multiple message frames: gain/loss, spatial distance, and likening lesser-known food production methods (i.e., marine aquaculture) to more familiar methods (i.e., terrestrial agriculture). Results from two experimental studies (US Study, U.S. sample, n = 1,210; ME Study, Maine sample, n = 469) indicate loss framing generates more support for aquaculture some support for the superiority of loss frames when controlling for individual characteristics. Furthermore, in both samples, perceived risk mediated between message exposure and aquaculture support. Unique to the U.S. sample, all messages decreased perceived risk and increased perceived benefit, and perceived benefit and emotion serve as mediating variables linking message exposure and aquaculture support. We discuss implications for strategic communication.