Contextuality of pig welfare - a study comparing public perception in three European countries

TY - GEN

T1 - Contextuality of pig welfare - a study comparing public perception in three European countries

AU - Thorslund, Cecilie Agnete H

AU - Lassen, Jesper

AU - Sandøe, Peter

N1 - Conference code: 12

PY - 2015/1/1

Y1 - 2015/1/1

N2 - Existing research suggests that attitudes to pig welfare are perspectival: they depend on whether the welfare is viewed from the perspective of a politically engaged citizen or from the perspective of a consumer looking at options for the next family meal. Furthermore, this context-dependence may vary with cultural differences. Results from 12 semi-structured focus group interviews, each with 5-8 participants, conducted between November 2013 and February 2014 in Denmark, England and Sweden are reported. The interviews were thematically structured around two contexts, each presumed to have a distinctive system of values: everyday life and production. The results of the interviews demonstrate that it can be meaningful for an individual to perceive pig welfare differently depending on the logic and values of the context. Also, a preliminary analysis of the focus groups indicates that there are significant differences between the three countries, particularly over who is seen as responsible for animal welfare. The English focus groups seemed to favour the idea that animal welfare should be market-driven through consumer-choice. The Danish groups took the general view that animal welfare is also a political issue, and that responsibility for it is shared between parliament and the consumer. The Swedish groups displayed a tendency to assume that parliament is responsible for ensuring welfare.

AB - Existing research suggests that attitudes to pig welfare are perspectival: they depend on whether the welfare is viewed from the perspective of a politically engaged citizen or from the perspective of a consumer looking at options for the next family meal. Furthermore, this context-dependence may vary with cultural differences. Results from 12 semi-structured focus group interviews, each with 5-8 participants, conducted between November 2013 and February 2014 in Denmark, England and Sweden are reported. The interviews were thematically structured around two contexts, each presumed to have a distinctive system of values: everyday life and production. The results of the interviews demonstrate that it can be meaningful for an individual to perceive pig welfare differently depending on the logic and values of the context. Also, a preliminary analysis of the focus groups indicates that there are significant differences between the three countries, particularly over who is seen as responsible for animal welfare. The English focus groups seemed to favour the idea that animal welfare should be market-driven through consumer-choice. The Danish groups took the general view that animal welfare is also a political issue, and that responsibility for it is shared between parliament and the consumer. The Swedish groups displayed a tendency to assume that parliament is responsible for ensuring welfare.

U2 - 10.3920/978-90-8686-813-1_45

DO - 10.3920/978-90-8686-813-1_45

M3 - Article in proceedings

SN - 978-90-8686-264-1

VL - 1

SP - 300

EP - 305

BT - Know your food

A2 - Dumitras, Diana Elena

A2 - Mugurel Jitea, Ionel

A2 - Aerts, Stef

PB - Wageningen Academic Publishers

CY - Wageningen

T2 - 12th Congress of the European Society for Agricultural and Food Ethics

Y2 - 28 May 2015 through 30 May 2015

ER -