New research reveals that levels of trust and acceptance of the egg industry by Australians has increased significantly, with overall trust across multiple measures improving from 53% in 2018 to 63%.
Commissioned by Australian Eggs and conducted by Voconiq, a research company spun out of CSIRO, the research also found the Covid-19 pandemic is continuing to highlight the importance of eggs in Australian lives.
“It is challenging to build trust in a crisis and this data reveals that the strong relationship that the egg industry has established with the Australian public is helping it weather this pandemic storm better than many other industries,” says Voconiq CEO Dr Kieren Moffat.
Key findings
The research engaged 5920 Australians and is the fourth annual cycle of community engagement that explores the Australian public’s attitudes and opinions towards the egg industry.
It found:
- 65% of Australians expressed trust in the egg industry to act responsibly in the 2021 survey, up 9.4% from 2018
- 80% believe that technology has improved the welfare and environmental outcomes of egg farms
- 70% of Australians agreed that the Covid-19 pandemic made them understand their reliance on a safe, reliable egg supply
- 88% of Australians support the egg industry after weighing up its benefits and costs, up 5% from 2020.
“It’s great to see that close to 9 in 10 Australians support egg farming after weighing up the benefits and costs of the industry,” says Australian Eggs Managing Director Rowan McMonnies.
“This shows that although egg production is complex, Australians believe that it is a good and modest use of environmental resources with egg farms having a relatively low carbon footprint, eggs are an important source of human nutrition and are affordable, and that the industry creates jobs for Australians and contributes to the national economy.”
The findings of the report will inform Australian Eggs’ annual Sustainability Framework Report, research and development programs, and investments.
The full report can be read here.
