This study aimed to explore the linguistic expressions used by participants when referring to edible insects, to reveal cultural and emotional attitudes or perceptions towards entomophagy.
This is a qualitative and quantitative study, carried out on a sample of 700 participants from 14 countries (50 per country), who were asked to indicate words or expressions that they associate with edible insects. A total of 2,799 words were analysed, distributed between six categories and 17 subcategories.
The results showed a predominance of words in the category “Emotional Reactions” (n = 773) and a lower number in the category “Gastronomy and Innovation” (n = 340), indicating that participants' emotive reaction dominates their perceptions of edible insects, while their gastronomic and innovative potential are not so present. The most frequent words were disgusting (n = 198 occurrences) and protein (n = 174), revealing neophobia among the participants, although they recognise their richness in protein. It was further observed that country and variables linked to the consumption of insects significantly impact the type of words chosen by the participants. Participants who have never eaten insects or reject eating them used more words in the category “Emotional Reactions” than those who have already consumed insects or are willing to consume them in the future.
This study included a high diversity of participants and countries and showed clearly how different social contexts influence the perceptions regarding edible insects, and that gastronomic applications may represent an effective strategy to shift perceptions.
