Detailed Results For Brazil From Faunalytics’ Study Of BRIC Countries
Faunalytics recently completed a cross-national comparative study of attitudes toward farmed animals in the U.S. and the BRIC countries: Brazil, Russia, India, and China.
A summary of the comparisons between the five countries is available here. This follow-up report provides full tables of results for Brazil. It includes:
- Tables 1-6: An overall breakdown of survey responses for people from Brazil (these can also be found in the main report, but more detail is included here);
- Tables 7-12: A breakdown of survey responses for people from Brazil by gender;
- Tables 13-18: A breakdown of survey responses for people from Brazil by age; and
- Tables 19-24: A breakdown of survey responses for people from Brazil by region.
- Table 25: Survey items in English and Brazilian Portuguese.
Key Findings
Some of the most noteworthy findings from the results for Brazilian respondents include:
- Brazilian respondents were the most pro-animal of any country: In particular, they were the most likely to say it is important that farmed animals are well cared for and to believe that farmed animals can suffer as humans do, and the least likely to say that low meat prices are more important than farmed animal welfare. In addition, substantially more Brazilian respondents indicated that they would support a welfare reform law than any other nationality. (See main report for details comparing the countries.)
- Despite holding the most pro-animal attitudes of any country we surveyed, very few Brazilians are vegan or vegetarian: Just 1%. Notably, almost all Brazilians eat chicken and a very large proportion eat beef. Speculatively, this low proportion of meat abstainers may be related to the importance of meat in Brazil’s food culture (Ribeiro & Corção, 2013). Advocates in Brazil must consider how to leverage attitudes in the face of potential resistance to abstaining from meat: Advocating widespread reduction may be the best strategy.
- Women in Brazil are generally more pro-animal than men (as are women across all the surveyed countries). For instance, they are more likely to hold pro-animal attitudes and beliefs, to support a welfare reform law, and to reduce their meat consumption. Therefore, advocacy targeting women may be more successful in changing behavior.
- Respondents from the North East region of Brazil showed several dietary differences from the other regions: They tended to report eating less pork and dairy and more non-fish seafood than respondents from most other regions. Advocates must bear in mind regional differences in food preferences so that they can recommend appropriate substitutes.
Methodology
The study methodology is described in more detail in the main report. Data were collected in May and June of 2018 from an urban representative sample of 1,027 Brazilians. The data were weighted to improve their representativeness.
For the results by demographic group, it is important to remember that small differences between groups are likely not meaningful, because they could occur by chance. Estimates of statistical significance—indicating which differences are large enough to be meaningful—are not provided in this report.
In each demographic section, we provide a rule of thumb for interpreting which differences are meaningful, which should be sufficient for most purposes. However, if exact information about significance is required, please contact Faunalytics.
Participants were presented with nine survey items as part of this study. These items, which are shown in English and Brazilian Portuguese at the end of this report, were carefully designed, translated, back-translated, and checked by native speakers to maximize equivalence between countries and languages.
Overall Results for Brazil
The tables below show the results for all Brazilian respondents.
Table 1. Beliefs about Animal Suffering in Brazil
Table 2. Attitudes toward Farmed Animal Welfare in Brazil
Table 3. Perceived Social Norms in Brazil
Table 4. Support for Welfare Reform in Brazil
Table 5. Diet in Brazil
Table 6. Diet Change in Brazil
Results by Gender in Brazil
The tables below show the results for Brazilian respondents by gender. Note that small differences between men’s and women’s responses may not be meaningfully different. In particular, differences of less than 5% may be due to chance.
Table 7. Beliefs about Animal Suffering by Gender (Brazil)
Table 8. Attitudes toward Farmed Animal Welfare by Gender (Brazil)
Table 9. Perceived Social Norms by Gender (Brazil)
Table 10. Support for Welfare Reform by Gender (Brazil)
Table 11. Diet in the Past Year by Gender (Brazil)
Table 12. Diet Change in the Last Three Months by Gender (Brazil)
Results by Age in Brazil
The tables below show the results for Brazilian respondents by age group. Note that small differences between age groups’ responses may not be meaningfully different. In particular, differences of less than 10% may be due to chance.
Table 13. Beliefs about Animal Suffering by Age (Brazil)
Table 14. Attitudes toward Farmed Animal Welfare by Age (Brazil)
Table 15. Perceived Social Norms in Country by Age (Brazil)
Table 16. Support for Welfare Reform by Age (Brazil)
Table 17. Diet in the Past Year by Age (Brazil)
Table 18. Diet Change in the Last Three Months by Age (Brazil)
Results by Region in Brazil
The tables below show the results for Brazilian respondents by region. Note that small differences between regions’ responses may not be meaningfully different. In particular, differences of less than 10% may be due to chance.
There were fewer than 50 respondents from the North of Brazil so that region is excluded from the tables. Such a small sample does not represent a wide enough cross-section of the population to be considered statistically reliable.
Table 19. Beliefs about Animal Suffering by Region (Brazil)
Table 20. Attitudes toward Farmed Animal Welfare by Region (Brazil)
Table 21. Perceived Social Norms in Country by Region (Brazil)
Table 22. Support for Welfare Reform by Region (Brazil)
Table 23. Diet in the Past Year by Region (Brazil)
Table 24. Diet Change in the Last Three Months by Region (Brazil)
Survey Instrument
The table below shows the nine items included in the survey as they were written in Brazilian Portuguese.