European attitudes to food and countryside

Last week, the findings of a Eurobarometer survey investigating Europeans’ attitudes towards food security, food quality and the countryside were published. The survey, requested by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development and co-ordinated by Directorate-General for Communication, interviewed 26 500 European citizens aged 15 and above in all 27 EU Member States.

According to the report, the objective was to understand EU citizens’ experiences and perceptions of food security and self-sufficiency. It also investigated consumer priorities when buying food, awareness of quality labels and perceptions of the link between agriculture and the preservation of nature and countryside.

Key findings include:

  •  84% of people agree that the EU should help other countries to increase their food production.
  • 81% agree that the EU should increase its own food production to depend less on imports.
  • 96% of respondents food quality is a factor when deciding to buy or not to buy products – it comes even before price, which is cited by 91% of respondents.
  • The origin of the product is less crucial, but still important to 71% of respondents.
  • 81% of respondents consider that agriculture is beneficial for the environment.
  • 86% agree that agriculture contributes to the beauty of the countryside.
  • 89% believe that agriculture helps to protect rural areas.

You can find the full report here: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/survey/2012/389_en.pdf