Business, Accounting and Economics Faculty Scholarship
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-11-2025
Publication Title
Journal of Consumer Affairs
Keywords
perceived risk, product warnings, proposition 65, retailer evaluations, warning labels
Abstract
With cancer rates projected to rise sharply in the coming years, identifying effective preventative health measures to address the issue has become critically important. By adopting perceived risk and signaling theory as the theoretical lens, the current research examines one such unique and underexplored intervention—the Proposition 65 warning. Across four studies, the findings show that consumers' sensitivity to the Proposition 65 warning varies by product category and geographic location. The findings also reveal that the presence (vs. absence) of the Proposition 65 warning negatively affects evaluations of not only the product, but also the retailer that sells the product. In sum, the current research aims to draw greater attention to the Proposition 65 warning as a powerful intervention and calls for policy improvement by highlighting the practical implications for manufacturers and retailers.
Volume
59
Issue
4
Repository Citation
Medvedeva, Kristina; Drury, Lauren; and Kelting, Katie, "YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED: The Effect of California's Proposition 65 Warning on Consumer Perceptions and Evaluations" (2025). Business, Accounting and Economics Faculty Scholarship. 8.
https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/bus_fac/8
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.70035
Version
Publisher's Version
Publisher's Statement
© 2025 The Author(s). Journal of Consumer Affairs published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Council on Consumer Interests
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Included in
Advertising and Promotion Management Commons, Business and Corporate Communications Commons, Marketing Commons