Insects are a promising alternative protein source and their possible integration in the human diet has been extensively studied, also with reference to the degree of consumer acceptability and the main factors determining reluctance among Western consumers. Several studies have also proposed the use of protein meals derived from insects in animal feed as a possible way to promote the development of the insect chain. Consumer attitudes, perceived risks, and intention to eat insect-based foods have been extensively researched, yet the relationships between those factors are still unclear. On a sample of 202 Italian consumers, the present research used the Entomophagy Attitude Questionnaire (EAQ) to analyse the degree of acceptability of insects as food and meat obtained from animals raised on insect-based feeds with a specific focus on the role of attitudes and perceived risk. The research also evaluated the differences in acceptability between different types of animals fed with insects. The results show that the intention to engage in entomophagy is significantly correlated with all three of the EAQ’s subscales, as well as with perceived risk. However, the effect of perceived risk does not significantly improve the predictive validity of EAQ with respect to the intention to eat insect-based food. The results also show that the degree of acceptability for different insect meal-reared animals changes among consumers: beef and pork are characterized by a lower degree of acceptability, while poultry and fish are more accepted by consumers.

The aim of the research here presented is to describe and compare the social representations of entomophagy co-constructed and circulating among different groups of consumers. Social representations theory (SRT) allows us to understand a social reality that the individual builds based on his own experience in everyday life symbolic exchanges, whose primary function is to adapt concepts and abstract ideas using objectification and anchoring processes. We carried out this research within the structural approach methodological framework. We explored the structure (central core and peripheral schemes) and the content (information, opinions, attitudes, and beliefs) of the social representations of entomophagy by using mixed methodological strategies (hierarchized evocations, validated scales, check-list, projective tool, open-ended questions). Data were processed employing different R packages. The main results show an essential role played by generative processes (objectification and anchoring) as well as cognitive polyphasia and thémata in the co-construction of the social representations of entomophagy. Data could help in understanding the sensory characteristics of “insects as food” that should be used or avoided, for example, in communication aimed to promote entomophagy.

The aim of this investigation is to examine the structure and the content of different social groups’ representations of the human microbiome. We employed a non-probabilistic sample comprising two groups of participants. The first group (n = 244) included university students. The second group included lay people (n = 355). We chose a mixed-method approach. The data obtained were processed using IRaMuTeQ software. The results allow us to identify the anchoring and objectification processes activated by the two different groups of interviewees. The results could be useful to those in charge of implementing campaigns aimed at promoting health literacy.

Résumé L’article présente une recherche internationale sur la représentation sociale de la crise économique. Etant donné la complexité et l’extrême actualité de l’objet, on a choisi une approche « multi méthode. L’analyse des résultats s’est faite en trois étapes. la première descriptive ; la seconde interprétative; la troisième comparative. Dans chaque pays, l’échantillon a été constitué par des sujets appartenant à trois catégories socio-économiques différentes: employés de banque, petits commerçants, étudiants en économie. Le choix de l’échantillon nous permet de tester empiriquement la notion de « distance à l’objet ». Les stratégies et les techniques de relevé et d’analyse des données sont complexes et sous certains aspects absolument innovateurs et ils seront bien expliquées dans le corpus du texte. Dans cet article on présentera seulement les données relatifs à la première étape de la recherche.

Gender violence is generally conceived as a phenomenon concerning only adults. Nonetheless, it is also perpetrated within teenagers’ relationships, as many empirical studies have shown. We therefore have focused our attention on a non-probabilistic sample consisting of 400 adolescents living in Naples (Italy), to study the association between sexism and the justification of violent attitudes. Generally, sexism is recognised as a discriminatory attitude towards people, based on their biological sex. However, it is conventional to talk about sexism as a prejudice against women. The Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI) for adolescents was used to evaluate the two dimensions of ambivalent sexism, i.e., hostile sexism (HS) and benevolent sexism (BS). Moreover, the questionnaire regarding attitudes towards diversity and violence (CADV) was administered to assess participants’ attitudes towards violence. A Partial Least Square–Second Order Path Model reveals that girls’ ambivalent sexism is affected more by benevolent sexism than hostile sexism. On the contrary, among boys, hostile sexism has a higher impact. Finally, benevolent sexist girls justify domestic violence more than boys do.

This paper presents macro-level safety performance functions and aims to provide empirical tools for planners and engineers to conduct proactive analyses, promote more sustainable development patterns, and reduce road crashes. In the past decade, several studies have been conducted for crash modeling at a macro-level, yet in Italy, macro-level safety performance functions have neither been calibrated nor used, until now. Therefore, for Italy to be able to fully benefit from applying these models, it is necessary to calibrate the models to local conditions. Generalized linear modelling techniques were used to fit the models, and a negative binomial distribution error structure was assumed. The study used a sample of 15,254 crashes which occurred in the period of 2009–2011 in Naples, Italy. Four traffic analysis zones (TAZ) levels were used, as one of the aims of this paper is to check the extent to which these zoning levels help in addressing the issue. The models were developed by the stepwise forward procedure using explanatory Socio-Demographic (S-D), Transportation Demand Management (TDM), and Exposure variables. The most significant variables were: children and young people placed in re-education projects, population, population aged 65 and above, population aged 25 to 44, male population, total vehicle kilometers traveled, average congestion level, average speed, number of trips originating in the TAZ, number of trips ending in the TAZ, number of total trips and, number of bus stops served per hour. An important result of the study is that children and young people placed in re-education projects negatively affects the frequency of crashes, i.e., it has a positive safety effect. This demonstrates the effectiveness of education projects, especially on children from disadvantaged neighbourhoods.