Ethical motivation of Dutch egg consumers

This paper analyses a representative sample of 356 Dutch egg consumers in order to measure the extent to which ethical principles concerning the welfare of hens in different rearing systems are translated into egg purchasing intentions, and the extent to which declared intentions are expressed in actual behaviour. Whilst concern expressed about hen welfare helps to explain behaviour, other factors including economic constraints, consumer attitudes and above all product and labelling knowledge also play an important role. Stated willingness-to-pay for eggs produced according to higher welfare standards is a poor predictor of actual choice