Behind a fluttering veil of trust: The dynamics of public concerns over farm animal welfare in Norway

Abstract

Farm animal welfare has climbed on the public agenda over the last decades. However, while expectations of public engagement in animal welfare are high, the scholarly literature does not point out any clear dynamic behind public involvement. This article argues that people's trust in institutional actors is a key explanatory factor. Most people's connection to farm animals and farms is indirect and rather abstract. To paraphrase, people observe animal welfare through ‘a veil of trust’ in institutions. With dependence on the actions and information from institutional actors, the social dynamics of public concern are closely related to trust in these actors. Trust varies, depending on the social context. Based on a unique integration of Norwegian public opinion surveys conducted from 1997 to 2020, the article analyses how people's concerns and worries over animal welfare are linked to trust in the truth-telling of institutional actors. The generally high trust in institutions in Norway may therefore explain the continued low levels of public concern for animal welfare. But our analysis also shows that the ‘veil of trust’ in institutions flutters over time and between different categories of actors.