Welfare Science

Welfare Science: Consumer Psychology and Welfare Labels

Consumer willingness to pay for higher welfare products does not always translate into purchasing behaviour, with psychological barriers explaining the intention-behaviour gap.

Key Facts

Studies show 60-80% of consumers report caring about farm animal welfare
Actual market share of higher welfare products is typically 5-15% by volume
Price, convenience and habitual purchasing override welfare intentions at point of sale
Simplification of welfare information into clear tier labels improves uptake
Default switching to higher welfare options maintains preferences while changing defaults

Welfare Considerations

The gap between consumer welfare concern and purchasing behaviour means market signals underrepresent actual preferences. Understanding and addressing psychological barriers to welfare purchasing is a welfare science problem with direct impact on farm animal lives. Default switching and simplified labelling offer scalable solutions.

What You Can Do

Audit your own purchasing against your stated welfare values
Advocate for simplified mandatory welfare tier labelling on all animal products
Support supermarkets committing to higher welfare as default
Engage with consumer psychology research on animal welfare purchasing