Consumers' values and preferences for long-term policies in multifaceted rice production and consumption: a deliberative experiment incorporating the perspective of future generations in 2050

Abstract

Abstract Non-technical summary The design of food systems is a common theme that requires stakeholders to prioritize long-term perspectives and balance between benefits for the present and future generations. Building on this theme, this study aims to demonstrate an intervention in individuals' policy preferences by helping them voluntarily adopt values for long-term policies and assessing its effectiveness through online deliberation experiments involving randomly selected consumers. The findings indicate that interventions incorporating the concept of imaginary future generations significantly influence individuals' food preferences and values. Technical summary Food systems are indispensable for the survival of the present generation and simultaneously have various effects on future generations. Therefore, the design of food systems is a typical theme requiring stakeholders to find value in a long-term perspective that achieves an appropriate balance between the benefits for the present and future generations. In this context, this study aims to demonstrate an intervention in individuals' policy preferences by assisting them in voluntarily acquiring values for long-term policies and verifying their effectiveness through online deliberation experiments with randomly selected food consumers (n = 153). The intervention used the future design method and the core concept of imaginary future people. The topic of this experimental study is policies on rice production and consumption in Japan. The findings suggest that interventions that incorporate the concept of imaginary future generations significantly influence individuals' food preferences and values, encouraging a shift toward a sustainable system through fundamental transformation rather than maintaining the current status quo. Based on these results, the authors discuss a pathway toward achieving a sustainable food system, in which collaborative efforts that transcend the individual positions of stakeholders are driven by forming a group identity among individuals willing to adopt the viewpoint of future generations. Social media summary The design of food systems is a common theme that requires stakeholders to prioritize long-term perspectives and balance between benefits for the present and future generations. Building on this theme, this study aims to demonstrate an intervention in individuals' policy preferences by helping them voluntarily adopt values for long-term policies and assessing its effectiveness through online deliberation experiments involving randomly selected consumers. The findings indicate that interventions incorporating the concept of imaginary future generations significantly influence individuals' food preferences and values. This concept has the potential to contribute to the realization of a sustainable food system through the establishment of collaborative relationships among various stakeholders.

Keywords

• food system
• future design
• imaginary future people
• rice policy