A comparative analysis of the attitudes of rural and urban consumers towards cultured meat

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to perform a comparative analysis on the attitudes of rural and urban Irish consumers towards cultured meat.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed methods exploratory sequential design was used. This involved collecting qualitative data first, through group interviews, and using the results of these to design the questionnaires for the quantitative data collection, which was analysed using SPSS 24.0 ®.

Findings

Urban consumers were more receptive towards cultured meat and more concerned about the environmental impact of current meat production practices. Rural consumers were more concerned about the possible damaging effect cultured meat production could have on agri-business and the livelihood of Irish farmers. The safety of the technology emerged as the biggest concern for both sets of consumers.

Research limitations/implications

The sample size used for the qualitative research resulted in a 95% confidence level and a confidence interval of 5.55. A larger sample number would give a tighter confidence interval and a more accurate representation of consumers’ attitudes.

Practical implications

This research could give guidance to food companies of how to market cultured meat products towards Irish consumers based on their concerns and their perceived benefits of the technology.

Social implications

This research added to previous research performed in Ireland showing that urban consumers are more receptive towards new food technologies than their rural counterparts.

Originality/value

This is the first paper comparing the attitudes of rural and urban Irish consumers towards cultured meat and adds to the literature on this emerging subject area.

Citation

Shaw, E. and Mac Con Iomaire, M. (2019), "A comparative analysis of the attitudes of rural and urban consumers towards cultured meat", British Food Journal, Vol. 121 No. 8, pp. 1782-1800. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-07-2018-0433