The Link between the Perception of Animal Welfare and the Emotional Response to Pictures of Farm Animals Kept in Intensive and Extensive Husbandry Systems: An Italian Survey

As livestock production grows to satisfy the global demand for animal products, understanding public attitudes towards different husbandry systems becomes essential for both animal welfare and socio-economic reasons. This study aimed to investigate people’s emotional responses toward pictures of far...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Veterinary sciences 2023-11, Vol.10 (11), p.652
Main Authors: Riggio, Giacomo, Angori, Elisabetta, Menchetti, Laura, Diverio, Silvana
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal husbandry
Animal welfare
Cattle
chickens
Consumer behavior
Consumers
Dairy cattle
Demography
Emotions
Farming
Food habits
Gender
Hogs
indoor
Livestock
Marketing research
Organic farming
outdoor
Perception
Perceptions
Poultry
Questionnaires
Rabbits
Swine
Variables
Veganism
Vegetarianism
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Summary:As livestock production grows to satisfy the global demand for animal products, understanding public attitudes towards different husbandry systems becomes essential for both animal welfare and socio-economic reasons. This study aimed to investigate people’s emotional responses toward pictures of farm animals kept in intensive and extensive husbandry systems, their perception of animal welfare, and their choices as animal product consumers. A questionnaire that included demographic questions and photos of cows, pigs, chickens, and rabbits in both intensive and extensive systems was distributed electronically and physically and completed by 835 respondents. Photos of animals in intensive systems elicited more negative emotions, especially for pigs and rabbits (p < 0.05), as opposed to extensive systems, which elicited more positive emotions, especially for chickens (p < 0.001). Higher welfare levels were perceived for extensively farmed animals (p < 0.001) and for cattle compared to all other species, regardless of the husbandry system (p < 0.001). The quality of the emotional response was positively associated with welfare perception (p < 0.001) and negatively associated with the importance given to welfare when purchasing animal products (p < 0.001). Finally, the emotional response was found to be affected by gender, education, household composition, living area, pet ownership, and eating habits. The implications and limitations of these findings are discussed.
ISSN:2306-7381
2306-7381
DOI:10.3390/vetsci10110652