Information sheet for participants


Researcher: Portia Sophie McCully
Supervisor: Siobhan Abeyesinghe

Introduction
We would like to invite you to take part in a research study looking at your views on meat chickens and fresh chicken meat sold in supermarkets. You do not have to purchase or consume chicken to participate.

Participation in the study is entirely voluntary and declining to participate will not disadvantage you in any way. Please read the information below before deciding whether to take part. If anything is unclear, or you would like more information, please contact me, Portia McCully at pmccully22@rvc.ac.uk, or my supervisor, Siobhan Abeyesinghe, at sabeyesinghe@rvc.ac.uk. The study has received ethical approval from the Royal Veterinary College’s Social Science Research Ethical Review Board (Ref: URN SR2024 - 02010402).

What is the purpose of the study?
The average person in the UK is estimated to eat 30.5kg of chicken per year (Statistica, 2023). The purpose of this study is to understand the UK publics’ perception of the quality of life of chickens raised for meat and their views on labelling of fresh chilled chicken. This study aims to understand whether public perceptions of fresh chicken labels are accurate. The results will help us to understand if labelling of chicken meat is suitable or if the information labels provide needs to be improved.

Who is eligible to take part?
We are keen to hear from anyone over 18 years who shops in UK supermarkets, regardless of whether you buy or consume chicken meat.

What will taking part involve?
Taking part will involve completing a brief online questionnaire, which should take about 10 to 15 minutes. The questionnaire will ask you about your views on the quality of life of UK meat chickens and your beliefs about some labels used for fresh chicken meat sold in supermarkets. We will also ask for some basic demographic information, such as your age, gender, dietary preferences and income, as previous research has shown that different groups of consumers have different perspectives, and we need to understand whether the people who have answered the survey represent all consumer sectors. Your participation is voluntary, you can decline to answer any questions you wish to, and you are free to exit the survey at any time if you feel uncomfortable or do not wish to continue.

What are the risks of taking part in this study?
The questionnaire incorporates questions about husbandry and production aspects for meat chickens (such as amount of space and available enrichment) that some participants may not be aware of, including one question about stunning before slaughter (note that no specific details of slaughter are provided). Thinking about this may be upsetting for some people and whether to take part should be considered, considering this.

Is it an anonymous study?
This study is anonymous. You will not be required to provide your name, or any personal data such as contact details, or any information that could lead to someone recognizing who you are from your answers or being able to trace answers back to you.
What if I change my mind about taking part?
You may exit the questionnaire at any point before providing responses. However, it will not be possible to withdraw your responses once you have submitted them as these are anonymous and cannot be traced back to you.

What will happen to the results of the study?
The results of the study will be reported in my final year research project as part of the requirements for my Bachelor’s degree. Additionally, they might be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals and/or presented at academic conferences. Anonymous data, which cannot be traced to any individual, may be made freely available for future research and learning via an RVC research data storage facility, and in association with subsequent publications.

How is the project being funded?
The study is funded by the Royal Veterinary College as part of my Bachelor’s degree.

Full reference: Shahbandeh, M. (2023) Per Capita Meat Consumption in the UK by Type 2022 [online], Statista, available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1409781/per-capita-meat-consumption-in-the-united-kingdom/. [Accessed 19 Jan 2025]


Thank you for reading this information sheet and for considering taking part in this research.
 
 9% of survey complete.

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