The thesis focuses on the analysis of the European citizens’ opinion and knowledge of welfare of livestock animals based on data collected through Eurobarometer over the past 20 years by four surveys published in 2005, 2007, 2016, 2023. Eurobarometer is the official survey tool used by European Union (EU) institutions and agencies to monitor European public opinion. The European citizens’ attitude towards farmed animal welfare was investigated by analyzing some of the survey questions; in particular, those focused on the importance placed on, knowledge of, and desire to be informed on such topic by the European citizens. When repeated over the years, these questions were statistically analyzed to highlight possible trends and evolutions in respondents' answers. Specifically, to provide a European overview, 5 EU countries were considered: Germany, France, Italy, Poland, and Sweden. For Italy, these issues were investigated in relation to the following factors: age group, level of education, and occupation scale. The study revealed that in 2007, Swedish citizens reported having the highest level of knowledge about farmed animal welfare (FAW), while Italy ranked last in terms of knowledge. The highest percentage of respondents who reported having no knowledge of FAW was recorded in Italy (30%), compared to the lowest in Sweden (13%). The Poles reported a higher level of knowledge than the Italians but lower than the Swedes, followed by the Germans and French. The question posed in 2016 regarding knowledge, due to its different structure, did not allow for a direct comparison with 2007, but, again, trends indicate that Swedish and Italian citizens showed higher and lower awareness of the topic, respectively. The highest importance attributed to farmed animal welfare was recorded in Sweden from 2007 to 2023. In Poland, the percentage of respondents who considered FAW as "Very important" decreased from 52% in 2007 to 31% in 2023, compensated by an increase in those who considered it as "Somewhat important." The majority of the European Union population desired more information about farmed animal welfare, and this trend has increased over the years. These results highlight significant differences among European countries in terms of knowledge, importance attributed, and desire for information on farmed animal welfare, with greater interest and awareness in Northern European countries. In Italy, the categories that report less knowledge about this topic are young people and those still in education, while managers claim to know more. High percentages of positive responses confirmed that Italians are very concerned about FAW, especially young people and those with higher levels of education. House people, the elderly, people with lower levels of education, and retirees tend to consider the topic less relevant or not in need of improvement. Overall, also for the Italian categories, the desire for more information on FAW has increased over time, especially among those still in education or working as managers. In conclusion, today's consumers declare an increasing attention and desire for products that reflect ethical, sustainable, and quality values. Transparency and honesty in the information provided by the supply chain, stakeholders, and policymakers are crucial factors for gaining and maintaining consumer trust. It is also essential to continue informing and educating citizens, especially in countries and demographic groups that show less concern for animal welfare, to promote an improvement in the living conditions of farmed animals and meet the new market demands.
La tesi si focalizza sull’analisi dell’opinione e della conoscenza dei cittadini europei sul tema del benessere degli animali da reddito, sulla base dei dati raccolti da Eurobarometer nel corso degli ultimi 20 anni attraverso quattro questionari pubblicati nel 2005, 2007, 2016, 2023. Eurobarometer è lo strumento di sondaggio ufficiale delle istituzioni e agenzie dell’Unione Europea (UE) a fini di monitoraggio dell'opinione pubblica europea. L’attitudine del cittadino europeo nei confronti del benessere animale è stata indagata attraverso l’analisi di alcune delle domande dei questionari; in particolare quelle sull’importanza, la conoscenza e il desiderio di voler essere informati sulla tematica da parte dei cittadini europei. Laddove ripetute negli anni, le domande sono state analizzate statisticamente per individuare eventuali tendenze ed evoluzioni nelle risposte date dagli intervistati. Nello specifico, per avere una panoramica europea, sono stati considerati 5 Paesi dell’UE: Germania, Francia, Italia, Polonia e Svezia. Per l’Italia queste tematiche sono state indagate in relazione ai seguenti fattori: fascia d’età, livello di istruzione e categoria occupazionale. Dallo studio è emerso che, nel 2007, i cittadini svedesi hanno dichiarato di avere il livello più alto di conoscenza del benessere degli animali da allevamento (BAA), mentre l’Italia si è classificata all’ultimo posto per conoscenza. La percentuale più alta di intervistati che dichiarano di non avere alcuna conoscenza del BAA è stata registrata in Italia (30%), rispetto alla più bassa in Svezia (13%). I polacchi hanno riportato una conoscenza superiore rispetto agli italiani ma inferiore rispetto agli svedesi, seguiti da tedeschi e francesi. La domanda posta nel 2016 sulla conoscenza, a causa della sua diversa struttura, non ha reso possibile il confronto diretto con il 2007, ma le tendenze indicano che i cittadini svedesi e italiani hanno mostrato nuovamente una maggiore e minore consapevolezza del tema, rispettivamente. L’importanza più alta attribuita al benessere degli animali allevati è stata rilevata in Svezia dal 2007 al 2023. In Polonia, la percentuale di rispondenti che consideravano il BAA “Molto importante” è diminuita dal 52% nel 2007 al 31% nel 2023, compensata però da un aumento di coloro che lo ritenevano “Abbastanza importante”. La maggior parte della popolazione dell’Unione Europea desidera ricevere più informazioni sul benessere degli animali da reddito, e questa tendenza è aumentata nel corso degli anni. Questi risultati evidenziano differenze significative tra i paesi europei in termini di conoscenza, importanza attribuita e desiderio di informazioni sul benessere degli animali da allevamento, con un maggiore interesse e consapevolezza nei paesi del Nord Europa. In Italia, le categorie che dichiarano una conoscenza minore sulla tematica sono i giovani e coloro che sono ancora in formazione, mentre i manager dichiarano di saperne di più. Alte percentuali di risposte positive confermano che gli italiani sono molto preoccupati per il BAA, soprattutto i giovani e le persone con livelli d’istruzione più elevati. Le casalinghe, gli anziani, le persone con livelli d’istruzione più bassi e i pensionati tendono a considerare la tematica come meno rilevante o non bisognosa di miglioramenti. In generale, anche per le categorie italiane, il desiderio di ricevere maggiori informazioni sul BAA è aumentato nel tempo, specialmente tra coloro che sono ancora in formazione o lavorano come dirigenti. In conclusione, i consumatori oggi dichiarano un'attenzione crescente e un desiderio di prodotti che riflettano valori etici, sostenibili e di qualità. La trasparenza e l'onestà delle informazioni fornite dalla filiera, dagli stakeholder e dai decisori politici sono fattori cruciali per guadagnare e mantenere la fiducia dei consumatori.
A 20-year trend in EU citizen perceptions of farm animal welfare from Eurobarometer
CAVAGGIONI, BEATRICE
2023/2024
Abstract
The thesis focuses on the analysis of the European citizens’ opinion and knowledge of welfare of livestock animals based on data collected through Eurobarometer over the past 20 years by four surveys published in 2005, 2007, 2016, 2023. Eurobarometer is the official survey tool used by European Union (EU) institutions and agencies to monitor European public opinion. The European citizens’ attitude towards farmed animal welfare was investigated by analyzing some of the survey questions; in particular, those focused on the importance placed on, knowledge of, and desire to be informed on such topic by the European citizens. When repeated over the years, these questions were statistically analyzed to highlight possible trends and evolutions in respondents' answers. Specifically, to provide a European overview, 5 EU countries were considered: Germany, France, Italy, Poland, and Sweden. For Italy, these issues were investigated in relation to the following factors: age group, level of education, and occupation scale. The study revealed that in 2007, Swedish citizens reported having the highest level of knowledge about farmed animal welfare (FAW), while Italy ranked last in terms of knowledge. The highest percentage of respondents who reported having no knowledge of FAW was recorded in Italy (30%), compared to the lowest in Sweden (13%). The Poles reported a higher level of knowledge than the Italians but lower than the Swedes, followed by the Germans and French. The question posed in 2016 regarding knowledge, due to its different structure, did not allow for a direct comparison with 2007, but, again, trends indicate that Swedish and Italian citizens showed higher and lower awareness of the topic, respectively. The highest importance attributed to farmed animal welfare was recorded in Sweden from 2007 to 2023. In Poland, the percentage of respondents who considered FAW as "Very important" decreased from 52% in 2007 to 31% in 2023, compensated by an increase in those who considered it as "Somewhat important." The majority of the European Union population desired more information about farmed animal welfare, and this trend has increased over the years. These results highlight significant differences among European countries in terms of knowledge, importance attributed, and desire for information on farmed animal welfare, with greater interest and awareness in Northern European countries. In Italy, the categories that report less knowledge about this topic are young people and those still in education, while managers claim to know more. High percentages of positive responses confirmed that Italians are very concerned about FAW, especially young people and those with higher levels of education. House people, the elderly, people with lower levels of education, and retirees tend to consider the topic less relevant or not in need of improvement. Overall, also for the Italian categories, the desire for more information on FAW has increased over time, especially among those still in education or working as managers. In conclusion, today's consumers declare an increasing attention and desire for products that reflect ethical, sustainable, and quality values. Transparency and honesty in the information provided by the supply chain, stakeholders, and policymakers are crucial factors for gaining and maintaining consumer trust. It is also essential to continue informing and educating citizens, especially in countries and demographic groups that show less concern for animal welfare, to promote an improvement in the living conditions of farmed animals and meet the new market demands.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
---|---|---|---|
Cavaggioni_Beatrice.pdf
accesso aperto
Dimensione
3.65 MB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
3.65 MB | Adobe PDF | Visualizza/Apri |
The text of this website © Università degli studi di Padova. Full Text are published under a non-exclusive license. Metadata are under a CC0 License
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12608/67330