Food Survey

Food Survey

Thank you for agreeing to take part in this survey. This survey is about a variety of things that may be important to you when you eat different foods, in particular your views and attitudes.

Please read the questions carefully, and answer every question. Don’t worry if some of the questions look similar, this is intentional, and please complete all questions.

This questionnaire is most easily completed using a computer or a larger screened device, such as a tablet. If you are using a mobile phone or mini-tablet, you may find the questions harder to read and the survey will take longer to complete.

The survey is carried out under the Market Research Society Code of Conduct. Your replies will be treated with utmost confidentiality and with anonymity, unless you express otherwise.

Please click on the NEXT button below to start...

General questions and diet

First we are going to ask you some general questions about foods. We will then focus on one type of food, and ask you some further questions.

In this survey we are interested in your views on a variety of foods. These foods include:

- Pork e.g. ham, sausages, pork chops, bacon.

- Poultry e.g. chicken, turkey, duck.

- Soft cheeses e.g. brie, camembert, some goats’ cheeses.

- Salad e.g. lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber.

- Fish e.g. haddock, cod, pollock, tuna, salmon.

- Shellfish N.B. For the purposes of this survey, the word shellfish refers to both crustaceans (such as crabs, lobsters and langoustines/wholetail scampi), and molluscs (such as mussels, scallops, oysters, clams and winkles). In this survey, we are NOT including prawns as a type of shellfish.

General questions and diet

In this section, we’d like to ask you about some of the things that may be important to you about food, and also your diet.

Please answer the next question using the scale 0 to 6, where 0=not at all important and 6=very important.

It is important to me:
	0 - Not at all	1	2	3	4	5	6 - Very
…to have ready-to-eat meals, because they are easy, convenient, and available anytime

…that I am well informed about the prices of foods at different shops

…to look for environmentally and animal friendly production and processing when shopping for food

…that foods are fresh and untreated

…to have a balanced diet and make healthy choices

…to get reliable quality through buying controlled and certified products

…to know how the products were produced and where they come from

…to have light and wholesome meals

…that I know exactly where I can buy what foods at the lowest price

General questions and diet

We’re interested in some information about what foods you eat, and when.

Please tick the box that best describes your diet...

Omnivore (you eat vegetables, fruit, grains; dairy, eggs, meat, fish, seafood)

Vegetarian (you eat vegetables, fruit, grains, dairy, eggs, but not meat, fish or seafood)

Vegan (you eat vegetables; fruit; grains, but not dairy, eggs, meat, fish or seafood)

Pescetarian (you eat vegetables, fruit, grains, dairy, eggs, fish, seafood, but not meat)

Some of the questions in this survey refer to meat or shellfish. Even if you don’t eat these foods, we are still interested in your views so please continue to complete the survey.

General questions and diet

To what extent are you responsible for, or involved in the following activities in your household:
	0 - Not at all	1	2	3	4	5	6 - Fully
Purchasing food

Preparing food

General questions and diet

To what extent does your current job or paid work involve the following activities:
	0 - Not at all	1	2	3	4	5	6 - As a major part
Purchasing food

Preparing food

General questions and diet

How often, on average, do you consume the following food types? N.B. ‘Shellfish’ refers to both crustaceans (such as crabs, lobsters and langoustines/wholetail scampi), and molluscs (such as mussels, scallops, clams, winkles and oysters). We are NOT including prawns.
	3 or more times a week	1 to 2 times a week	1 to 3 times a month	Less than once a month	Never
Pork

Poultry

Soft cheese

Salad

Fish

Shellfish

Comparing foods

We’re now interested in your thoughts about how some common foods compare.

To what extent do you agree that each of the following foods is easy to prepare?
	0 - Not at all	1	2	3	4	5	6 - Fully agree
Pork

Poultry

Soft cheese

Salad

Fish

Shellfish

Comparing foods

To what extent do you agree that each of the following foods is sold at a generally affordable price?
	0 - Not at all	1	2	3	4	5	6 - Fully agree
Pork

Poultry

Soft cheese

Salad

Fish

Shellfish

Comparing foods

To what extent do you agree that each of the following foods is generally produced in an environmentally-friendly and/or animal-friendly way?
	0 - Not at all	1	2	3	4	5	6 - Fully agree
Pork

Poultry

Soft cheese

Salad

Fish

Shellfish

Comparing foods

To what extent do you agree that each of the following foods can be part of a balanced diet and a healthy choice?
	0 - Not at all	1	2	3	4	5	6 - Fully agree
Pork

Poultry

Soft cheese

Salad

Fish

Shellfish

Comparing foods

To what extent do you agree that each of the following foods often make consumers ill?
	0 - Not at all	1	2	3	4	5	6 - Fully agree
Pork

Poultry

Soft cheese

Salad

Fish

Shellfish

Comparing foods

All foods sometimes have the potential to make people ill. We’re interested in some of the causes of these illnesses. For each of the risks below, please tick the ONE food type that you most commonly associate it with (one tick per row):
	Pork	Poultry	Soft cheese	Salad	Fish	Shellfish	No idea!	None
Salmonella

Listeria

Norovirus

E.coli

Campylobacter

Dioxins

Heavy metals (e.g. mercury)

Toxins from naturally occurring algae

Shellfish

For the next part of the survey we’re going to ask you questions focussing on shellfish.

Click NEXT to continue...

Shellfish

We’re now interested in some of the different types of shellfish you may have eaten, and your opinion about this food. Please indicate below whether you’ve tried, and whether you’d like to eat, each type of shellfish:
	I have eaten* this... and would eat it again*	I have eaten* this... and wouldn't eat it again*	I haven't tried* this... but am willing to try*	I haven't tried* this... and don't want to try*
Crab

Mussels

Clams

Winkles

Lobster

Scallops

Cockles

Oysters

Scampi (langoustine)

Whelks

Shellfish

If you do eat shellfish, how often do you eat it in each of the following places?
	Never	Occasionally	Often	Always	Not applicable
At home

At someone else’s house (e.g. friend or family)

Out - in a restaurant, pub or café

Preparing and cooking shellfish

To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about eating and preparing shellfish?
	*Strongly disagree*	*Disagree*	*Neither agree or disagree*	*Agree*	*Strongly agree*
I know how to prepare shellfish

When I’m on holiday I like to eat shellfish

In general, my friends and family think eating shellfish is ok

I might eat shellfish on a special occasion

It would put me off eating crab or lobster if I had to kill it first.

I know where I could buy shellfish easily

Shellfish quality

Shellfish can come from a variety of places. Regardless of whether you eat shellfish, we’re interested in your views on the quality of shellfish from different places.

How confident are you that shellfish from each of the following sources is of good quality? (Quality here refers to a combination of freshness, taste and food safety.)
	*Very unsure*	*Unsure*	*Neither unsure or confident*	*Confident*	*Very confident*
Supermarket

Local convenience shop

Fishmonger or local market

Collecting my own from the seaside

Restaurant / café

Box delivery / mail order

Shellfish quality

To what extent do you agree that each of the following countries produce good quality shellfish?
	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Neither agree or disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
Scotland

Ireland

France

England

Wales

To what extent do you agree that each of the following locations produce good quality shellfish?
	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Neither agree or disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
Devon

Essex

Thames Estuary

Cornwall

Opinions about shellfish

Here we ask you several questions related to eating shellfish. We’re interested in your opinions and views right now, rather than there being any right or wrong answers.

Please mark along each of the following scales the number that best represents your feelings about eating shellfish (in general):

Bad ... Good

0 - Bad

6 - Good

Opinions about shellfish

Below are various statements about shellfish, some of which are based on recent interviews with members of the public. Please tick one box per row, selecting the answer that best reflects your opinion.
	*False*	*Maybe false*	*Don't know*	*Maybe true*	*True*
Some parts of a crab are poisonous if eaten

Shellfish has a relatively low carbon footprint compared to most other foods

Most UK shellfish is farmed

Shellfish are high in saturated fat

Shellfish are a good source of protein

Most shellfish stocks are fished unsustainably

Shellfish are a good source of omega-3 oils

If shellfish is fresh you won’t have an allergic reaction

Because some shellfish contain cholesterol they are an unhealthy food

Most mussels and oysters sold in the UK have been through a purification process

Opinions about shellfish

To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about shellfish?
	*Strongly disagree*	*Disagree*	*Neither agree or disagree*	*Agree*	*Strongly agree*
I am worried about heavy metals in shellfish

Existing food safety procedures in the UK mean there is no risk of food poisoning from shellfish

I know where to find information about the potential risks and benefits from eating shellfish.

Occasional outbreaks of food poisoning caused by shellfish are to be expected

Rare outbreaks of food poisoning caused by shellfish are acceptable

It would bother me seeing shellfish served in its shell

Oysters are an aphrodisiac

Opinions about shellfish

To what extent do you think each of the following things affects whether shellfish is safe to eat?
	0 - Not at all	1	2	3	4	5	6 - Completely
Whether shellfish have been stored at the correct temperature

The distance the shellfish has been transported

Raw sewage spills near where shellfish grow

What the shellfish has come into contact with along the supply chain

Whether shellfish is eaten in a month without an ‘r’ in the name

Whether the shellfish is served raw or cooked

Industrial pollution where shellfish grow

Treated sewage released in coastal areas

Your intentions to eat shellfish

Only a few more questions to go. We’re now interested in some of the things that might affect your future eating behaviour, and one question about your household.

I would probably eat more shellfish if:
	*Strongly disagree*	*Disagree*	*Neither agree or disagree*	*Agree*	*Strongly agree*
…it was cheaper

…it was more readily available

… I could buy locally sourced shellfish

…I could buy Cornish shellfish

…I knew more about how shellfish are grown / caught

…I knew whether it was sustainable

…I knew it was safe

…I knew how to prepare it

…TV chefs cooked more with shellfish

Your intentions to eat shellfish

Please mark along each of the following scales the number that best represents your response to the following three statements.

Within the next SIX months...

…I’m planning to eat shellfish

0 - Disagree

6 - Agree

Your intentions to eat shellfish

Do any of the following reasons prevent you from eating shellfish?
Please tick all that apply, or leave blank if not applicable.

I’m allergic to shellfish

My religion forbids consumption of shellfish

Other? Please state...

Do either of the following apply to you?
Please tick all that apply.

I’ve been ill after eating shellfish

A friend or relative has been ill after eating shellfish