Introduction
In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the need for sustainable food sources to feed a growing global population while minimizing the environmental impact of agriculture, like aquaculture products. Improving European consumers' perception of these food sources is not only essential for diversifying diets but also for promoting sustainable and environmentally friendly food production. There is an ample body of evidence highlighting the negative perceptions of European consumers towards aquaculture. Studies have shown that even in areas where aquaculture is generally accepted, such as the south of Spain, consumers still believe that wild fish have a greater quality, are healthier, tastier, and more environmentally friendly, even if these opinions are not supported by evidence (Ruiz-Chico et al, 2020). In France, the second largest importer of salmon in Europe, a study has analysed French newspapers and magazines and concluded that most articles about salmon were negative, especially those regarding health (Govaerts, 2021). However, science and fact-based communication campaigns improve the societal perception of aquaculture practices and products (Carrass��n et al, 2021), with the amount of available information, as well as the receptor's ability to understand it, being a critical factor to achieve a positive attitude toward aquaculture (Fern��ndez-Polanco and Luna, 2012). To address these issues, it is crucial to educate consumers, providing clear, science-based information about the benefits of aquaculture and insects as foods, which can help dismiss myths and misconceptions, shift perceptions and build consumer confidence in these alternative food sources. This study presents the results of a questionnaire on beliefs and attitudes towards the consumption of aquaculture fish in two groups of young people in Portugal: secondary school and university students. The main objective is to provide empirical evidence to support the design of educational interventions and communication campaigns on sustainable food, in particular with regard to the acceptance of aquaculture products.
Materials and Methods
To map the attitudes and beliefs towards aquaculture products a short online questionnaire was administered to secondary education and university students. Students' ages were coded into categories (1 - 5) and later grouped into three age groups (tertiles). Secondary (highschool) students' gender distribution was 16 girls, 14 boys, 5 "I prefer not to answer" and 8 omissions. University students' gender distribution was 55 women, 32 men and 1 omission. The questionnaire included 19 items about aquaculture fish. Four items were yes/no questions related to consumption patterns and 15 items (e.g., taste preferences, safety, nutritional value, sustainability) were answered on a scale of quotation from 1 to 5, in which higher values indicate more positive attitudes/greater acceptance. We constructed one indicator, fish_score with the mean value of these 15 items. Data analysis included descriptive statistics (M - Mean, SD - Standard Deviation) of fish scores by group, and Student's t-tests for independent samples to compare: a) Secondary education vs university, b) Gender (male vs female) at each level of education.
Results and Discussion
In both secondary education (N = 43; M = 2.99, SD = 0.65) and university (N = 88; M = 3.16, SD = 0.41) groups, aquaculture fish is rated moderately positively (mean around or slightly above 3), although slightly more favourable at university. However, Student's t-test (Welch) indicated t(≈66) = ���1.44, p = 0.157, with no statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) between secondary education and university students opinions. The attitudes of both genders (Table 1) are practically identical, with no gender effect. Student's t-test (Welch) indicated t(≈26) = 0.47, p = 0.640 for secondary education (boys vs girls), and t(85) = ���0.29, p = 0.772 for university (men vs women) students.
Table 1. Means and standard deviations of attitudes towards aquaculture fish by education level and gender. Note: Scale from 1 to 5; Higher values indicate more positive attitudes.
Group
Gender
N fish_score M (SD)
Secondary education
Boys
14
3.03 (0.80)
Girls
16
2.90 (0.61)
University
Men
32
3.14 (0.42)
Women
55
3.17 (0.41)
These results show a relative normalization of aquaculture fish in the groups studied, with no significant differences between secondary and university, nor between genders, suggesting that resistance to aquaculture fish is not the main obstacle in this young audience, although specific beliefs (e.g. presence of chemicals, use of antibiotics) remain that can be worked on. Based on the results and on specific item averages (results not shown), some guidelines for activity planning can be highlighted: 1) Evidence-focused education on food safety, nutritional quality and sustainability, consolidating an already moderately positive perception and clarifying myths (chemicals, antibiotics, etc.); 2) The data do not suggest the need for radically different interventions for different genders; a common discourse, with minor language adjustments and examples depending on the school/university context, may be more effective.
Acknowledgment
This work was funded by Egas Moniz Cooperativa de Ensino Superior CRL through project Food4Thought (EduCom EG 01_24) and approved by the institution's Ethics Committee (IP 1616).
References
Carrass��n M, Soler-Membrives A, Constenla M, Escobar C, Flos R, Gil JM, Luz��n V, Piferrer F, Reig L (2021). Information impact on consumers' perceptions towards aquaculture: Dismantling the myth about feeds for farmed fish. Aquaculture (544) 737137.
Fern��ndez-Polanco J, Luna L (2012). Factors affecting consumers' beliefs about aquaculture. Aquaculture Economics & Management (16) 22-39.
Govaerts F (2021). Media representation of salmon aquaculture in France. Aquaculture (540) 736679.
Ruiz-Chico J, Pe��a-S��nchez AR, Biedma-Ferrer JM, Jim��nez-Garc��a M (2020). Social acceptance of aquaculture in Andalusian Atlantic coast (Spain): an emerging economy sector. Foods (9) 910.