Rediscovering local breeds of naturally free-range hens: a survey on Italian consumers’ awareness of hen welfare and egg purchasing behavior

Background Egg production is dominated by the use of conventional cage systems, but the increasing awareness of consumers about animal welfare has led to a shift toward cage-free and free-range systems. Italian consumers are increasingly valuing farming methods and hen welfare in their purchasing decisions. Moreover, native poultry breeds are gaining attention for environmental sustainability reasons and their contribution to biodiversity. This study explores Italian consumers’ awareness, attitudes, and knowledge about eggs from local hen breeds raised in high-welfare, free-range systems. To this end, a survey was proposed, through a Computer Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) approach, and administered to egg consumers via social media. Results The survey collected 1,222 responses, mainly from women and individuals under 75. Two key questions assessed the consumers’ attention toward “animal welfare” and “hen welfare”. The results of descriptive statistics showed that 27.5% of the respondents were attentive to animal welfare, while 61.2% frequently or always considered how hens were raised when they bought eggs. The main result of econometric analyses on the “animal welfare” model suggested that the welfare-quality variable was positively, statistically significant with the highest odd-ratio. The size of the family and eating meat were instead negatively, statistically significant. Similar results were found for the “hen welfare” model, even if the studying or working in an agri-food sector outcomes were not significant. A stepwise logistic regression and Artificial Intelligence-based analysis proved to be highly effective in identifying and prioritizing the characteristics that defined the consumers’ awareness of local hen breeds. Welfare-quality was the most important feature for these consumers when purchasing eggs. Egg consumers are in fact willing to pay more for eggs from well-raised and/or local breed hens. Conclusion The study has shown there is growing attention to animal and hen welfare and egg production methods. These results highlight a cultural dimension of hen welfare and hen breed awareness, thus suggesting that policymakers should promote the education of consumers on animal farming practices and local hen breeds, thereby achieving protection of their genetic heritage.