Public Attitudes to Housing Systems for Pregnant Pigs

Understanding concerns about the welfare of farm animals is important for the development of socially sustainable practices. This study reports findings from an online survey used to test how views on group versus stall housing for pregnant sows varied when Canadian and US participants were provided information about these systems including access to scientific papers, YouTube videos, Google images, and a frequently-asked-questions page. Results are reported in a paper under review by PLOS One. Initial responses and changes in responses after accessing the information were analyzed from Likert scores of 242 participants and from their written comments. Participants were less willing to accept the use of gestation stalls after viewing information on sow housing. Qualitative analysis of comments showed that supporters of gestation stalls expressed concern about the spread of disease and aggression between animals in less confined systems, whereas supporters of group housing placed more emphasis on the sow's ability to interact socially and perform natural behaviors. Support for both systems was also influenced by misperceptions, for example that group housing commonly contains straw bedding. The data provided give qualitative and quantitative responses to two questions regarding level of support for either housing system (before (referred to in data set as 257) and after (439) the provision of additional information), demographic data, qualitative data on unique comments authored by specific participants, as well as data on which comments participants voted on to support their position. Data is also shared regarding self-reports of which types of information participants accessed and how this affected their attitudes.

探究农场动物（farm animals）福利相关议题，对推动社会可持续养殖实践的发展具有重要意义。本研究依托一项在线调查展开，旨在探究：向加拿大与美国参与者提供妊娠母猪（pregnant sows）群养与限位栏饲养两种模式的相关资料（含学术论文、YouTube视频、谷歌图片及常见问题解答页面）后，参与者对两种饲养方式的态度会发生何种变化。本研究成果已提交至《公共科学图书馆·综合》（PLOS One）进行同行评审。

研究基于242名参与者的李克特得分（Likert scores）及其书面评论，分析了信息获取前的初始态度与获取后的态度变化。结果显示，参与者在了解母猪饲养模式的相关信息后，对妊娠限位栏（gestation stalls）饲养的接受度显著降低。对评论的质性分析表明：妊娠限位栏饲养的支持者担忧，在约束程度更低的饲养系统中，动物间易出现疾病传播与攻击行为；而群养模式的支持者则更强调母猪开展社会互动、展现自然行为的重要性。

两类饲养模式的支持度还受到认知误区的影响，例如部分参与者误以为群养系统普遍配备秸秆垫料（straw bedding）。本数据集涵盖针对两种饲养系统支持程度的定性与定量回复：包括获取额外信息前（数据集中标注为257）与获取后（标注为439）的相关数据、人口统计学数据、由特定参与者撰写的独特评论质性数据，以及参与者为支撑自身立场而投票选择的评论相关数据。此外，数据集还共享了参与者自我报告的信息获取类型，以及这些信息如何影响其态度的相关数据。