Rural And Adult Knowledge And Perceptions Of Agriculture

Abstract

This study was conducted to assess the knowledge and perception of rural and urban adults in a midwestern state regarding agriculture, food, and natural resources. Since this study was a pilot project, these two subgroups of the United States population were assessed to provide baseline data reflecting the knowledge and perceptions of United States residents regarding agriculture and the food industry. Data were collected from 886 respondents but did not constitute a representative sample of all United States citizens. However, the results of this study may have implications for other groups on a practical basis. Three objectives were specified for this study as follows: 1) To assess the level of agricultural knowledge among rural and urban adults in a midwestern state; 2) To assess the level of agricultural perceptions among rural and urban adults in a midwestern state; 3) To describe the demographic variables of both subgroups that may influence their knowledge or perceptions of agriculture. Both groups of adult respondents were most knowledgeable about the Animals concept and least knowledgeable about the Plants in Agriculture concept. Respondents were most positive about the Natural Resources concept and were the least positive about the Agricultural Policy concept. However, rural adults were also very positive about the Animals concept. Respondents living on farms were more knowledgeable about agriculture than their rural non-farm neighbors, who were more knowledgeable than their urban counterparts. Respondents with high levels of education were more knowledgeable about agriculture than those with less education.

Journal of Applied Communications, 2017, vol. 101, no. 2 Full Issue

“…Even though agricultural knowledge is assumed as necessary to make informed decisions (Frick et al, 1995;Kovar & Ball, 2013;Meischen & Trexler, 2003;Powell & Agnew, 2011;Specht et al, 2014), knowledge does not appear to have a strong link to trust of the organizations that are communicating about agricultural and natural resources issues based on the results of this study. Ideally, members of the public would be knowledgeable about all agricultural and natural resources issues affecting their lives, but pragmatically individuals will continue to depend on sources of information they trust to help shape their opinions and decisions (Brossard & Nisbet, 2007;Kahan, 2012), even when the individuals are not knowledgeable about the organizations.…”

“…Lack of knowledge is often cited as problem that limits the public's ability to make informed decisions about agricultural and natural resources issues (Frick et al, 1995;Kovar & Ball, 2013;Meischen & Trexler, 2003;Powell & Agnew, 2011). Despite lacking knowledge, the members of the public still make decisions related to agricultural and natural resources issues (Brossard & Nisbet, 2007).…”

“…As the agricultural industry continues to struggle with the public's lack of knowledge and awareness members for agricultural and natural resources issues, it is important that the awareness, knowledge, and trust of organizations communicating about agricultural and natural resource issues continue to be assessed (Brewer & Ley, 2013;Frick et al, 1995;Kovar & Ball, 2013;Mase et al, 2015;Meischen & Trexler, 2003). By understanding levels of awareness, knowledge, and trust of organizations that communicate about agricultural and natural resources issues, the industry can better understand how to improve communications and consumer understanding in the future.…”

Public Knowledge and Trust of Agricultural and Natural Resources Organizations

“…A commonly accepted problem facing agriculture in the United States is the lack of knowledge and awareness members of the public have for agricultural and natural resources issues, making it difficult for individuals to make informed decisions (Frick, Birkenholz, & Machtmes, 1995;Kovar & Ball, 2013;Meischen & Trexler, 2003). This problem is exacerbated by the low percentage of the population directly involved in agriculture (Kovar & Ball, 2013), which is caused by innovations in agricultural production (Enns, Martin, & Spielmaker, 2016;Hogberg et al, 2005).…”

Media Dependency During a Food Safety Incident Related to the U.S. Beef Industry

“…Most consumers receive agricultural information from the media (Sitton, 2000), and misperceptions about the industry stem from a lack of basic agricultural knowledge (Frick, Birkenholz, & Machtmes, 1995). The media plays an important role in today's society, making news, Internet, magazines, and other media consumption an everyday routine (McCullagh, 2002).…”