Perceptions of Hunting and Hunters by U.S. Respondents

Public acceptance of hunting and hunting practices is an important human dimension of wildlife management in the United States. Researchers surveyed 825 U.S. residents in an online questionnaire about their views of hunting, hunters, and hunting practices. Eighty-seven percent of respondents from the national survey agreed that it was acceptable to hunt for food whereas 37% agreed that it was acceptable to hunt for a trophy. Over one-quarter of respondents did not know enough about hunting over bait, trapping, and captive hunts to form an opinion about whether the practice reduced animal welfare. Chi-square tests were used to explore relationships between perceptions of hunters and hunting practices and demographics. Those who knew hunters, participated in hunting-related activities, visited fairs or livestock operations, or were males who had more favorable opinions on hunting. A logistic regression model showed that not knowing a hunter was a statistically significant negative predictor of finding it acceptable to hunt; owning a pet was statistically significant and negative for approving of hunting for a trophy

Integrated On-Farm Decision Making: Economic Implications of Increased Variation in Litter Size

Increased litter sizes and associated piglet performance consequences, challenge swine producers. Stochastic modeling captured bioeconomic performance of individual piglets. As average litter size increased from 8.8 to 20.8 piglets, costs and revenues per head marketed from the demonstration herd decreased and total profit increased at a decreasing rate.stochastic modeling, farm business management, swine litter size, Agribusiness, Farm Management, Livestock Production/Industries,

The effects of attribute non-attendance, simple validation questions, and their interactions on willingness to pay estimates for meat choice experiments

Abstract: During an online survey, respondents were randomly assigned to a choice experiment for either pork chops or chicken breasts and were then explicitly asked which attributes they did not consider while making their choices. A simple validation question, which directed respondents to choose a specific answer, was also included. Accounting for either stated or inferred attribute non-attendance alone had no statistically significant effect on willingness-to-Pay (WTP) estimates. Those who passed the validation question had statistically significant and higher WTP for some attributes of pork chops and chicken breasts when the variable was interacted with inferred or stated attribute non-attendance (ANA). While use of a validation question appears promising, more research is needed on this point before it can be concluded that ANA alone has no impact on the WTP estimates for food choice experiments

We’re All Listening. The Multitude of Astonishing (Petrifying?) Uses of Your Social Media Data

We’ve realized for years that our web browser knows we need things that we didn\u27t even know we wanted. But shopping and purchase data is low-hanging fruit. Think more broadly about the multitude of data created 24-7 on social media. From Twitter to blogs, data are being generated on who said what about whom and even when and where. Social media listening and social media analytics (including language and image analysis) facilitate insights into one’s business or industry, and a lot more. This talk will discuss how social media listening is being used across various marketplaces and industries. It will present data from research centered on tracking social media sentiment in fields ranging from leisure travel to agricultural and food markets. The presentation will highlight potential benefits associated with collecting and analyzing social media-based data, while simultaneously discussing the (increasingly obvious, perhaps) devious uses of such capabilities

Grocery Shopping in the Digital Era

The US grocery market was worth more than $600 billion in 2019 but only about 5% of this value is contributed by online purchases. With the projected growth in online grocery markets, we revisit how groceries get to the doorstep in the digital-shopping “place order online” era

Outdoor enthusiasts’ perspectives on livestock animal treatment

Demand for pork chops and chicken breasts were analyzed using best-worst scaling and consumer choice experiments. Outdoor enthusiasts (who regularly hunt, fish, or participate in outdoor activities), which represent a unique consumer group with respect to livestock animal welfare, were surveyed with respect to meat purchasing attributes. Six meat attributes were analyzed for relative levels of preferences with safety having the largest share. Nutrition and taste were more important to outdoor enthusiasts than a representative sample of U.S. residents. Positive and significant mean willingness to pay estimates were obtained with the exception of locally produced pork chops. Outdoor enthusiasts were willing to pay a higher amount for retailer and industry verified antibiotic free pork chops than a representative sample of U.S. consumers

Of Fur, Feather, and Fin: Human’s Use and Concern for Non-Human Species

The public’s concern for animal welfare is evolving and it is important to consider factors that are related to concern for animals and their use by humans. An online survey of 825 U.S. residents was conducted. Relationships between approval of animal uses and stated concern for animal welfare were examined. More than 90% of respondents reported that using animals for egg production, service or therapy, pets, and milk production was acceptable to them. Respondents who were younger or reported being female less frequently found most uses acceptable than older or male respondents. Half of respondents reported concern for the welfare of bison while 40% or more stated concern for the welfare of elk, beef cattle, and dairy cattle. Respondents who stated they were concerned for the welfare of dairy cattle less frequently reported accepting using animals for meat production, livestock shows, and hunting. Thus, self-reported concern for animal species and acceptance of the use of animals were related in some instances. A better understanding of the factors related to acceptance of animal uses and concern for animal welfare will help animal-related industries and wildlife agencies develop practices that are consistent with public attitudes

Exploring Social Desirability Bias in Perceptions of Dog Adoption: All’s Well that Ends Well? Or Does the Method of Adoption Matter?

Dogs are a popular companion animal in the United States; however, dog acquisition is often a contentious subject. Adoption is often cited as an ethical and popular method of acquisition but interpretation of the term ‘adoption’ may vary. In a nationally representative survey of the U.S., 767 respondents were asked questions regarding their opinions of dog acquisition and adoption. Within the sample, 45% had a dog; of those, 40% had adopted a dog, and 47% visited a veterinarian once a year. A best-worst choice experiment, where respondents were asked to choose the most ethical and least ethical method of acquiring a dog from a statistically determined set of choices, was used to elicit respondents’ preferences for the most ethical method of dog adoption. A random parameters logit and a latent class model were used to estimate relative rankings of dog adoption methods. In the random parameters logit model, the largest preference share was for adoption from a municipal animal shelter (56%) and the smallest preference share was for adoption from a pet store (3%). Dog acquisition was further evaluated by creating an index of social desirability bias using how important respondents believed certain dog characteristics were compared to how important respondents believed others would rate/rank the same dog characteristics. The highest incidences of social desirability bias occurred for the dog characteristics of appearance and breed