Volume 61, May 2016, Pages 121–125
- Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Received 9 September 2015, Revised 16 February 2016, Accepted 22 February 2016, Available online 9 March 2016
Highlights
- •
- The majority of participants (64%) were opposed to ag-gag legislation.
- •
- Awareness of ag-gag legislation reduced the perceived trustworthiness of farmers.
- •
- Ag-gag legislation increased negative perceptions of current farm animal welfare conditions.
- •
- Ag-gag legislation increased support for greater animal welfare regulations.
Abstract
Hidden-camera
investigations are becoming an increasingly popular means of raising
public awareness about farm animal welfare. However, livestock
industries claim they are deceptive. One strategy to curtail these
investigations has been the introduction of so-called ag-gag
legislation, which aims to restrict the flow of information coming out
of farm facilities. Psychological research suggests that this approach
may be counter-productive as reducing information flow often reduces
feelings of trust. We sought to extend these findings by applying them
to a real-world, timely example and to determine whether the perceived
intention to obstruct access to information erodes feelings of trust.
Accordingly, this study tested whether simply being made aware of ag-gag
laws might have a negative impact on trust in farmers. Participants (n = 716)
were randomly assigned to either receive information about ag-gag laws
or to a Control condition. We found that most people were unaware of
ag-gag laws and that learning about them lead to a decrease in trust in
farmers and an increase in support for animal welfare regulations.
Interestingly, we also found evidence that awareness of ag-gag laws
negatively impacted perceptions of the current status of farm animal
welfare as well as the perception that farmers do a good job of
protecting the environment. Through this topical example, this study
demonstrates that even the intention to restrict access to information
can undermine trust.
Keywords
- Animal well-being;
- Credibility;
- Transparency;
- Trustworthiness;
- Undercover videos;
- Whistleblowers
