Psychological and sociodemographic contexts of attitudes towards new genomic techniques (NGT) foods and products in Poland

New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) offer promising opportunities to improve agricultural productivity and sustainability; however, their public acceptance remains uncertain. Guided by the Tripartite Attitude Model, this study tested hypotheses concerning psychological and demographic predictors of attitudes toward NGT food products. This study examined demographic and psychological (i.e., cognitive, affective, and behavioral) factors influencing attitudes toward NGT food products in a Polish sample (N = 850; aged 18-88). Participants provided information on their expectations regarding NGT foods, their opinions on the changes that the introduction of NGT foods would bring, their willingness to try NGT products, and their opinions on the effectiveness of encouragement to the consumption of NGT products, along with assessments of conspiracy beliefs, attitudes toward science, food neophobia, food technology neophobia, disgust sensitivity, consumer awareness, and political orientation. Results revealed that older participants showed lower willingness to try NGT foods compared to younger groups. Moreover, positive attitudes toward science, openness to new foods, and subjective consumer awareness were positive predictors of favorable attitudes toward NGT foods. In contrast, food technology neophobia and conspiracy beliefs were negative predictors of these attitudes. Our findings emphasize the importance of psychological and sociodemographic contexts in shaping consumer acceptance of innovative food technologies, highlighting the need for targeted communication strategies to address skepticism and enhance trust.