Summary: AnimalhealthEurope Citizens Survey on Knowledge & Opinions on Veterinary Medicines

AnimalhealthEurope commissioned Produkt+Markt to carry out an online survey among citizens in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom. The survey was conducted during December 2020 and January 2021. Findings are shared in the summary report below.

The target group was a representative and balanced sample of citizens in terms of regional distribution, gender and age (>18 years), and counted 6,000 respondents (1,000 per country – Sweden, Norway and Denmark combined).

Survey questions focused on topics covering the right to receive medicines, animal welfare, disease prevention and cure, as well as zoonoses, food safety and general awareness.

On the one hand, results show a lack of awareness on the rules for use of veterinary medicines, and some citizens express concerns about the use of certain medicines. On the other hand, awareness on the benefits of their use for both animal welfare and sustainable food production is well recognised. 

In particular, positive attitudes towards the use and benefits of animal vaccination were noted – see here in this summary of views on vaccination