Lin, BrianErrmann, AmyConroy, Denise2026-04-072026-04-072026-03-16Technological Forecasting and Social Change, ISSN: 0040-1625 (Print), Elsevier BV, 227, 124646-124646. doi: 10.1016/j.techfore.2026.1246460040-1625http://hdl.handle.net/10292/20884Novel food technologies, such as genetic editing, cell-cultured foods, and controlled environment agriculture, offer potential solutions to global challenges like climate change and resource scarcity, yet their success depends on consumer readiness to adopt them. This research examines how cultural uncertainty avoidance and religiosity jointly shape adoption readiness for these technologies. Two studies were conducted with participants from Japan (a high uncertainty avoidance culture; n = 1214) and Singapore (a low uncertainty avoidance culture; n = 1189). Study 1 showed that in Japan, highly religious consumers were more willing to pay for and support novel food technologies than their secular counterparts, whereas in Singapore, secular consumers expressed greater support than more religious consumers. Study 2 demonstrated that symbolic value mediates these cross-cultural patterns, revealing how consumers interpret novel food technologies through identity- and value-based meanings that vary by cultural and religious context. These findings offer theoretical insight into the sociocultural predictors of technology adoption and provide practical guidance for tailoring strategies for adoption readiness across diverse markets.© 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons CC-BY license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. You are not required to obtain permission to reuse this article.35 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services3503 Business Systems In Context3506 Marketing10 Technology14 Economics15 Commerce, Management, Tourism and ServicesScience Studies38 EconomicsJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.1016/j.techfore.2026.124646