A survey to determine public opinion about the ethics and governance of farm animal welfare

OBJECTIVE: To determine the attitude of the public toward farm animal welfare and identify beliefs regarding how decisions about farm animal welfare should be made. DESIGN: Telephone survey. STUDY POPULATION: A random sample of 1,019 US households. PROCEDURES: US households were contacted by telephone and asked to take part in a survey consisting of 48 items. RESULTS: A majority (437/773 56.4%]) of respondents believed decisions about farm animal welfare should be made by experts rather than being based on the views of the public. Such advocates of expert decision making were less likely to believe the government should regulate farm animal welfare. Most (420/773 54.3%]) respondents believed decisions about farm animal welfare should be based on scientific measures of animal well-being, as opposed to moral and ethical considerations. Those individuals who believed farm animal welfare decisions should be made by experts and be based on scientific measures were the least concerned about farm animal welfare issues. People who believed animal welfare decisions should be made by experts and be based on scientific measures were most responsive to information about use of gestation crates for sows. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These results should help increase recognition that changing public opinion is not simply a matter of convincing the public to support positions established by veterinarians and animal scientists. People's views about the role of the democratic process in regulating technologic change are important determinants of whether people accept the changes in animal agriculture that have occurred during the past century.