Public attitudes toward farm animal sentience are more positive than purchasing behaviour suggests. Understanding the gap between concern and action is essential to effective animal welfare communication.
The gap between public concern for farm animal welfare and purchasing behaviour is one of the central challenges in animal advocacy. Most people hold genuine compassion for farm animals but face structural barriers — price premiums, limited availability of higher-welfare products, and entrenched consumption habits — that prevent attitude from translating to action. Effective welfare communication works to reduce these barriers by making higher-welfare options visible, affordable, and emotionally salient. Policy interventions that internalise welfare costs — through labelling requirements, minimum standards, and taxation of the worst practices — complement individual behaviour change campaigns by shifting the baseline for all consumers.