Pest-control products: Reading warnings and purchasing intentions

This research is part of a large study examining p~ople's.perceptio~s ?f. household pest-co~trol products. Described in this report are the variables assocIated wuh peoples wllhngness to ~ead warnmgs on these products and the variables associated with likelihood to purchase. Two subject samples, comprised of 70 undergraduates and 20 adults, examined 22.pest-control pro~ucts and responded to a questionnaire assessing perceptions of the products, the packagmg, and the warmngs. Results showed.that product hazardousness, warning understandability, and :-,:arningattra~tiv.enessstro~gly related to sub)ects willingness to read the warnings. Unexpectedly, readablhty analyses mdlcated subjects wou.ldmore hkely read warnings with more sentences/statements and written at higher gr~d~ levels. A dIfferent set of variables was related to purchasing intentions. Subjects.reported gr~ater wllhngn~ss to purchase products that were more familiar and which had more attractIve packagmg. RegreSSIOnanalyses were also performed to obtain models predictive of reading warnings and purchasing intenti~ns.. The results are discussed in terms of manufacturers' concerns of sales and consumer safety. The relanve mdependence of subjects' purchasing intentions and the variables related to reading warn.ingssuggests that manufactu~ers can place appropriate and effective warnings on pest-control products wuhout the fear of reduced buymg intentions.