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Despite the promise of new gene editing technologies (GETs) (e.g., CRISPR) in accelerating sustainable agri-food production, the social acceptability of these technologies remains unclear. Prior literature has primarily addressed the regulatory and economic issues impacting GETs ongoing acceptability, while little work has examined socio-cultural impacts despite evolving food policies and product commercialisation demanding input from various actors in the food system. Our systematic review across four databases addresses this gap by synthesising recent research on food system actors’ perspectives to identify the key socio-cultural factors influencing GET acceptability. This review extends prior literature by including views from a more diverse range of actors (e.g., farmers and NGOs) and provides a better understanding of their perceived social benefits and concerns. We find food system actors perceive positive and negative impacts of using GETs in agriculture. These perspectives are often entangled in broader debates regarding sustainability and food systems issues (e.g., social justice). We discuss practical recommendations for policymakers, agri-food industry managers, and scientists to better align gene edited foods (GEFs) with food system actors’ values. GEF policy, development, and commercialisation must reflect social values such as collective wellbeing and transparency to improve actors’ acceptability. More research is required among marginalised food actors such as Indigenous and smallholder farmers.

Background Cancer remains a leading cause of death among women globally, with breast, colorectal, and cervical cancers being the most prevalent. Despite established screening programs, low adherence rates persist, contributing to the continued high incidence of these cancers. Among the many influencing factors, sociocultural beliefs play a significant role in shaping women's health behaviours, often resulting in poor participation in screening initiatives. This systematic review aims to provide a thorough analysis of the impact of sociocultural factors on women's adherence to breast, colorectal, and cervical cancer screening. Methods This review focused on the influence of sociocultural belief factors on cancer screening adherence among women, hence PRISMA checklist was used, and the study was registered with PROSPERO. A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases without any time limit and after applying strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, 53 studies were selected for detailed review. Then, the quality of these studies was evaluated using the Mixed-Method Appraisal Tool, and all the studies were classified as low risk of bias and included for data extraction. Results Most studies included were quantitative, conducted in high-income countries between 2015 and 2024, primarily focusing on cervical cancer. Actual participation in cancer screening was more often measured than intentions toward adhering to screening program with individual-based theories were often used in the selected studies. In total, nine sociocultural themes were identified and clustered using the Health Belief Model and the Socioecological Model into five main themes and six key sub-themes. The factors emerging from the sub-themes of the theory were reported as the primary factors, which were further divided into key individual-level factors such as fear, worry, spirituality, medical mistrust, and fatalism, alongside influential factors from family and surrounding level factors. Conclusion The review underscores that both individual-level factors, as conceptualised by the Health Belief Model, and broader contextual factors, as outlined by the Socioecological Model, play critical roles in influencing women's adherence to cancer screening. Cultural variations introduce unique sociocultural beliefs that may affect the generalisability of these findings. To improve adherence, interventions must address factors at multiple levels, ensuring a holistic approach to enhancing cancer screening programs. Trial registration The review protocol was registered using the PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (ID = CRD 42024525634).

Background The age at which parents or caregivers first develop concerns about their child’s development has significant implications on formal diagnosis and intervention. This study aims to determine the sociocultural factors that are associated with the age and type of first concern reported by parents of autistic children among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in Australia. We also assessed whether sociocultural factors predict autism traits measured in terms of social affect (SA), restricted and repetitive behaviours (RRB), and calibrated severity scores (CSS). Methods This study is a secondary data analysis of the data collected from six Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centres (ASELCCs) as part of the Autism Co-operative Research Centre (CRC) program between 2015 and 2019. Data analysed in this study included a family history questionnaire with sociodemographic and sociocultural information, parent-reported age and type of first concern, and clinician/researcher administered Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule - Second Edition (ADOS-2) which includes standardised domain-wise scores of social affect (SA) and restricted and repetitive behaviours (RRB) as well as calibrated severity scores (CSS), a measure of severity of autism. Primary analysis included multivariable linear regression models to examine the predictive influence of sociodemographic and sociocultural factors on the dependant variables of age of concern (AOC) and the autism traits (SA, RRB, and CSS). Results The mean AOC in the sample was 18.18 months and the most common concerns were speech/language delay, limited social interaction, and hyperactivity/behavioural changes. The multivariable linear regression models showed factors such as increase in age of child, those from a CALD background, annual family income, sibling’s autism diagnosis, and developmental concerns to be significantly associated with parental AOC. Additionally, we also found that increase in child’s age and CALD status to be significant predictors of autism trait (RRB) and severity measured in terms of the CSS score. Further, females (compared to males) were associated with higher difficulties with social communication and interaction skills. Conclusion Understanding key factors that contribute to early identification of autism can help tailor awareness programs for parents and caregivers, whilst also informing the development of services focused on serving all CALD communities.

The article examines the architectural spatial development of cities in Central Ukraine under the influence of landscape conditions and changes in socio-cultural factors using the city of Kropyvnytsky (Elysavetgrad) as an example. The peculiarities of the historical development of the architectural and planning structure of the city, located on the border of Central Ukraine and the northern Black Sea region, are poorly studied due to its location in the agricultural steppe region of Ukraine. The aim of the paper is to reveal the regularities and basic principles of the relationship between the architectural and spatial development of the city with natural and landscape conditions and changes in socio-cultural factors. The work is based on a complex application of general scientific and special research methods. The transformations of the urban environment of the centre of Kropyvnytskyi (Elysavetgrad) at the end of the 20 century led to the distortion of the scale of the buildings and the loss of their significant elements. Comprehensive studies of the evolution of the urban structure and historic buildings in the city centre will help architects and urban planners to preserve the architectural and urban heritage in the modern urban space.

Background Currently, Nigeria alone accounts for 30% of the burden of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. This review explores the socio-cultural factors influencing prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) service uptake in Nigeria. Methods Using the PEN-3 cultural model as a guide, we searched electronic databases and conducted a synthesis of empirical studies conducted from 2001 to 2013 that reported the perceptions people have towards PMTCT, the enablers/resources that influence PMTCT service uptake, and the role of nurturers/family or community in shaping actions and decisions towards PMTCT service uptake. Results A total of 42 articles meeting the search criteria were retained in this review. Thirty-six (36) were quantitative cross-sectional surveys; three were mixed methods, while three were qualitative studies. The findings highlight that there are perceptions, ranging from positive to negative that influence PMTCT service uptake in Nigeria. Furthermore, lack of available, accessible, acceptable, and affordable resources negatively influence decisions and actions towards PMTCT. Finally, family contexts matter with decisions and actions towards PMTCT service uptake in Nigeria particularly with disclosure and non-disclosure of sero-positive status, fertility intentions and infant feeding choices. Conclusion As ambitious goals are established and unprecedented resources deployed towards the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV globally by 2015, there is clearly a need to develop effective family-oriented, culture-centered community-based PMTCT programs in Nigeria so as to improve the low uptake of PMTCT services.

We propose and explore the possibility that language models can be studied as effective proxies for specific human subpopulations in social science research. Practical and research applications of artificial intelligence tools have sometimes been limited by problematic biases (such as racism or sexism), which are often treated as uniform properties of the models. We show that the “algorithmic bias” within one such tool—the GPT-3 language model—is instead both fine-grained and demographically correlated, meaning that proper conditioning will cause it to accurately emulate response distributions from a wide variety of human subgroups. We term this property algorithmic fidelity and explore its extent in GPT-3. We create “silicon samples” by conditioning the model on thousands of sociodemographic backstories from real human participants in multiple large surveys conducted in the United States. We then compare the silicon and human samples to demonstrate that the information contained in GPT-3 goes far beyond surface similarity. It is nuanced, multifaceted, and reflects the complex interplay between ideas, attitudes, and sociocultural context that characterize human attitudes. We suggest that language models with sufficient algorithmic fidelity thus constitute a novel and powerful tool to advance understanding of humans and society across a variety of disciplines.

This study investigated entrepreneurs’ motivations to implement circular economy (CE) practices and the ways in which their approaches to CE practices differed by their sociocultural context. The research aimed to contrast the contemporary instrumental perspective on CE through an ecologically dominant logic. The empirical analysis focused on Finland and Japan, two countries with distinct sociocultural contexts but similar regulatory environments regarding the CE. The study analysed entrepreneurs’ motivations towards the CE through self-determination theory that makes a distinction between different levels of internalization in motivations. The Finnish entrepreneurs were characterised by more frequent intertwined intrinsic/transcendent motivations and a vocal approach to CE. The Japanese entrepreneurs’ motivations were more varied; some were intrinsically interested in the CE, while some were even unaware of the CE concept despite operating CE businesses. The Japanese entrepreneurs resorted to masking their CE businesses to better relate with the surrounding linear system. The study shows how the individualistic Finnish culture fostered progress on the CE, while the collectivistic Japanese culture emphasised the need for relatedness and caused stagnation in the CE in its society.

Purpose The relationship between women and land is not a mere legal or technical relationship but one that is mediated through socio-cultural norms and notions. Building on the work of Feminism Environmentalism, but moving beyond Agarwal’s materialist system, this paper aims to assess the level of change (if any) in the perceptions and practices of rural communities in Sohag and Assiut toward women’s ownership and inheritance of land post the implementation of some societal initiatives by feminist organizations and what this means for rural development in these communities. In doing this, the paper explores the strengths and weaknesses of these societal initiatives. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses case study approach by focusing on societal initiatives in two Egyptian Governorates. It also follows a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design, whereby quantitative data is first driven by using a survey that assesses the level of change in the societal perceptions and practices toward women’s ownership of agricultural land and its implication for rural development. Quantitative data is then followed by qualitative methods, namely, eight focus group discussions with different societal groups, to have a more in-depth understanding and explanation of the occurring change (if any). Findings The research finds that a positive shift occurred in the societal perceptions and practices with regard to women’s ownership and inheritance of agricultural land as a result of the societal initiatives. This, in turn, had better implications for rural development in terms of improved socio-economic well-being and overall quality of life. This improvement can be traced back to the change in cultural notions and perceptions as a result of four factors: capitalizing on the roles of influential groups, relying on influential activities, targeting men, especially heads of households or elders, and building blocks or partnering with the various relevant entities. Practical implications The misperception of the nature of the women-–environment/land relationship and its confinement to legal solutions undermines the likelihood of improving this relationship and, subsequently, attainment of rural and sustainable development. This study provides some key lessons to improve the women–environment/land relationship and, in turn, enhance the chances for rural and sustainable development through addressing the underlying socio-cultural barriers. Social implications In Egypt, socio-cultural barriers hamper women’s ownership of agricultural land leading to only 5% of agriculture land being owned by women compared to 95% owned by men; a situation that is found in many other countries, such as Kenya, where women perform 70% of the agricultural labor, but possess less than 1% of the agricultural land. Improving women’s access to land, hence, solves a common social problem in Egypt and Africa and enhances gender equality. Originality/value Little work has been done to investigate the socio-cultural dimensions to the women–environment relationship. Hence, this study fills this gap and concludes with some lessons learned on how to improve the women–environment, particularly land, relationship.

The turn to ontology, often associated with the recent works of Philippe Descola, Eduardo Viveiros de Castro, and Bruno Latour, but evident in many other places as well, is, in Elizabeth Povinelli's formulation, \"symptomatic\" and \"diagnostic\" of something. It is, I here argue, a response to the sense that sociocultural anthropology, founded in the footsteps of a broad humanist \"linguistic\" turn, a field that takes social construction as the special kind of human reality that frames its inquiries, is not fully capable of grappling with the kinds of problems that are confronting us in the so-called Anthropocene-an epoch in which human and nonhuman kinds and futures have become so increasingly entangled that ethical and political problems can no longer be treated as exclusively human problems. Attending to these issues requires new conceptual tools, something that a nonreductionistic, ethnographically inspired, ontological anthropology may be in a privileged position to provide.

We develop and test a theory to address a puzzling pattern that has been discussed widely since the 2016 U.S. presidential election and reproduced here in a post-election survey: how can a constituency of voters find a candidate \"authentically appealing\" (i.e., view him positively as authentic) even though he is a \"lying demagogue\" (someone who deliberately tells lies and appeals to non-normative private prejudices)? Key to the theory are two points: (1) \"common-knowledge\" lies may be understood as flagrant violations of the norm of truth-telling; and (2) when a political system is suffering from a \"crisis of legitimacy\" (Lipset 1959) with respect to at least one political constituency, members of that constituency will be motivated to see a flagrant violator of established norms as an authentic champion of its interests. Two online vignette experiments on a simulated college election support our theory. These results demonstrate that mere partisanship is insufficient to explain sharp differences in how lying demagoguery is perceived, and that several oft-discussed factors—information access, culture, language, and gender—are not necessary for explaining such differences. Rather, for the lying demagogue to have authentic appeal, it is sufficient that one side of a social divide regards the political system as flawed or illegitimate.