Paper long abstract:

This study examines how food knowledge, value and affection an individual has affect the person's positive and negative attitude toward functional food. Concerning of studies on public attitude toward application of science and technology, a lot of studies have been examined in the articles on Risk Psychology and Public Understanding of Science (PUS). Studies in Risk Psychology have analyzed on affection as factor of perception of risk. However concrete knowledge and individual value has not been analyzed to study on universalistic psychology. On the other hand studies in articles of PUS have analyzed on concrete knowledge and individual value as factor of attitude toward science and technology. However affection has not been examined to study on public understanding. Accordingly all of concrete knowledge, individual value and affection have not been analyzed at the same time. So this study analyzed all of them in the case of functional food.

In Japan function of biological regulation in food was researched from 1984 to 1986 funded by The Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture. A lot of functional foods are developed and marketed since then. This study carried out the focus group and the questionnaire surveys using web monitor to analyze public attitude and its factor.

Such research in Japan is very few in the STS literature. The findings of this study could be contributed to the STS literature.