Most Canadians Say Politicians’ Stance On Farm Animal Welfare Would Affect Their Vote

A poll by Harris/Decima finds that 71% of Canadians are concerned about the humane treatment of farm animals and 65% said a political candidate’s view on farmed animal welfare practices would factor into voting choices.

In additional findings, after learning more about eggs from caged hens and those from cage-free farms, 57% of Canadians say they oppose the use of cages and 68% would support a ban on cages for their province. This number is up 5% since the 2009 poll.

Battery cages are used in 97% of all Canadian egg production, though 51% of Canadians buy white eggs from caged hens. In fact, 32% of Canadians incorrectly believe that 5-24% of Canadian eggs come from cage-free hens.

Moreover, nearly three-quarters (72%) of Canadians say they are willing to pay more for farm animal products that were certified to humane standards by a third party organization. By region, British Columbians (80%) are more likely than those from Ontario (70%) and those from Manitoba/Saskatchewan (64%) to pay more for higher humane standard eggs. Overall, 78% of Canadians support a requirement to label eggs from caged hens as such, if they were raised accordingly.