The relationship between citizens' perceptions of farmers and the overall assessment of farm animal husbandry in Germany: a case of four animal types and two production systems

Abstract

Citizens' perceptions of farmers are considered one of the most important factors influencing the overall assessment of livestock production. Therefore, this study aims to explore this relationship considering four different types of animals: Dairy cows, fattening pigs, broilers and laying hens for both conventional and organic farming systems. In analyzing the data, a contingency table analysis with chi-square test was performed. The values of the adjusted residuals were used as a post hoc test. The results showed that each of the five perception statements was significantly associated with the assessment of conventional and organic livestock production for all types. The results of this study are useful for understanding the overall assessment of the types and systems studied and for planning future research.