Pig Farming from the Perspective of German Citizens – Comments on Videos of a Pig Fattening Pen

Abstract

There is an increasing discrepancy between agriculture and the population. Studies confirmed that livestock farming has a poor image. In the present study, in an online survey 500 German citizens were shown videos from a pig fattening pen. In addition to the determination of the attitude to the housing system, the survey participants were given the opportunity to comment on the videos. These optional comments were evaluated in a qualitative content analysis. The results show that the housing conditions, especially the stocking density and the slatted floor, were criticised heavily. The way, in which the criticism was formulated, shows that the videos caused different reactions among the participants. While the majority of participants formulated their criticism factually, some comments are more emotional. The expression of attitudes in both forms can be differentiated, explicit and constructive. This indicates that citizens deal with the topic holistically.