The Perceptions of Turkish Consumers Regarding In Vitro Meat and the Relationship Between These Perceptions and Willingness to Try and Consume In Vitro Meat

Abstract

This study aims to determine Turkish consumers' perceptions and attitudes toward in vitro meat and to investigate the relationship between their perceptions and their willingness to try and consume it. The questionnaire was distributed to potential participants via social media, and the responses of 989 participants were evaluated. The responses regarding the extent to which participants agreed with 32 opinions about in vitro meat were analysed using principal component analysis (PCA). As a result of PCA, four components were obtained explaining 63.3% of the total variance: i) benefits for the environment, and human and animal welfare; ii) safety and reliability; iii) social and ethical concerns; and iv) concerns about being unnatural. Regression equations developed with these components were able to moderately explain (R2 ranged between 0.547 and 0.583) the variance observed in consumers' willingness to try, regularly consume, replace conventional meat with and try in vitro meat when recommended by a friend.