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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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Veterinary Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/10/11/652 |
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| author | Giacomo Riggio Elisabetta Angori Laura Menchetti Silvana Diverio |
| author_facet | Giacomo Riggio Elisabetta Angori Laura Menchetti Silvana Diverio |
| author_sort | Giacomo Riggio |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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 (<i>p</i> < 0.05), as opposed to extensive systems, which elicited more positive emotions, especially for chickens (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Higher welfare levels were perceived for extensively farmed animals (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and for cattle compared to all other species, regardless of the husbandry system (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The quality of the emotional response was positively associated with welfare perception (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and negatively associated with the importance given to welfare when purchasing animal products (<i>p</i> < 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:23:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2645ea23bd1c4d67885400e5cd33a9fd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2306-7381 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:23:21Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Veterinary Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-2645ea23bd1c4d67885400e5cd33a9fd2023-11-24T15:10:28ZengMDPI AGVeterinary Sciences2306-73812023-11-01101165210.3390/vetsci10110652The 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 SurveyGiacomo Riggio0Elisabetta Angori1Laura Menchetti2Silvana Diverio3Laboratory of Ethology and Animal Welfare (LEBA), Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, ItalyIndependent Researcher, Via IV novembre 13, 52044 Camucia, ItalySchool of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, Camerino University, Via Circonvallazione 93/95, 62024 Matelica, ItalyLaboratory of Ethology and Animal Welfare (LEBA), Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, ItalyAs 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 (<i>p</i> < 0.05), as opposed to extensive systems, which elicited more positive emotions, especially for chickens (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Higher welfare levels were perceived for extensively farmed animals (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and for cattle compared to all other species, regardless of the husbandry system (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The quality of the emotional response was positively associated with welfare perception (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and negatively associated with the importance given to welfare when purchasing animal products (<i>p</i> < 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.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/10/11/652emotionslivestockoutdoorindoorpoultrychickens |
| spellingShingle | Giacomo Riggio Elisabetta Angori Laura Menchetti Silvana Diverio 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 Veterinary Sciences emotions livestock outdoor indoor poultry chickens |
| title | 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 |
| title_full | 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 |
| title_fullStr | 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 |
| title_full_unstemmed | 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 |
| title_short | 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 |
| title_sort | 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 |
| topic | emotions livestock outdoor indoor poultry chickens |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/10/11/652 |
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