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

摘要

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 (R). 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.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.