Table 4. Comparison of initial acceptability of alternative housing systems with acceptability levels when confronted with different trade-off situations.
| Split sample 1 (n = 520) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoor run | Indoor straw | Indoor | |
| Initial acceptability of the alternative housing systems | 4.62 (1.57) | 3.72 (1.60) | 1.90 (1.22) |
| Acceptability when confronted with advantages | |||
| I consider this housing system an acceptable alternative to the free-range system if … | |||
| … pigs are less infested with parasites. | 4.84 (1.59) *** | 4.48 (1.65) *** | 3.29 (1.77) *** |
| … pathogen transmission from pigs to humans decreases. | 4.75 (1.63) * | 4.42 (1.67) *** | 3.25 (1.79) *** |
| … the soil and groundwater are less affected by faeces. | 4.69 (1.62) | 4.29 (1.65) *** | 3.25 (1.79) *** |
| … fewer greenhouse gases are released. | 4.48 (1.65) * | 4.13 (1.62) *** | 3.05 (1.69) *** |
| … people involved in pig husbandry earn a higher income. | 4.16 1.82) *** | 3.72 (1.74) | 2.75 (1.69) *** |
| … pork from this housing system is cheaper. | 3.41 (1.79) *** | 3.15 (1.70) *** | 2.43 (1.54) *** |
| Split sample 2 (n = 518) | |||
| Indoor straw | Outdoor run | Free-range | |
| Initial acceptability of the alternative housing systems | 4.57 (1.53) | 5.21 (1.41) | 6.40 (0.99) |
| Acceptability when confronted with disadvantages | |||
| I consider this housing system an acceptable alternative to the indoor housing system with slatted floors even if … | |||
| … pathogen transmission from pigs to humans increases. | 3.69 (1.74) *** | 4.04 (1.67) *** | 4.41 (1.82) *** |
| … people involved in pig husbandry earn a lower income. | 3.83 (1.66) *** | 4.09 (1.62) *** | 4.37 (1.78) *** |
| … the risk of disease transmission between the pigs increases. | 3.83 (1.65) *** | 4.21 (1.60) *** | 4.55 (1.74) *** |
| … the pigs’ exposure to pathogens from straw/air/soil increases. | 3.83 (1.70) *** | 4.41 (1.66) *** | 4.74 (1.70) *** |
| … more greenhouse gases are released. | 4.05 (1.65) *** | 4.37 (1.63) *** | 4.84 (1.66) *** |
| … pork from this housing system is more expensive. | 4.81 (1.70) ** | 5.20 (1.56) | 5.69 (1.46) *** |
Displayed are means and standard deviations. Ratings on a 7-point Likert scale ranged from 1 = completely disagree, to 4 = partly/partly, to 7 = totally agree. Comparison of means within a housing system using a t-test for dependent samples. Asterisks mark significant differences between the initial acceptability of a housing system and the acceptability when confronted with advantages/disadvantages.