The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture has conducted polling since 2013 with the aim of gaining insight into the public’s perception of the agriculture and agri-food industry. Results help assess the impact of efforts taken to build the trust of the public and to establish benchmarks for proposed future initiatives in the industry.
In the 2023 Public Trust Survey conducted by Insightrix Research, 801 Saskatchewan residents were asked to state their perception of agricultural practices in the province.
Survey results
When survey participants were asked if they have a positive perception of agriculture in Saskatchewan, 83 per cent agreed or strongly agreed, with nine per cent in disagreement. This result is the lowest since 2013, whereas the highest amount of support was given in 2020 at 91 per cent.
When asked if participants knew where to find credible information about agriculture and food, 61 per cent agreed or strongly agreed, whereas nearly one in five (18 per cent) said they didn’t know. Respondents in the South region were more likely to agree.
When asked if farmers and ranchers in Saskatchewan are good stewards of the land, 74 per cent agreed or strongly agreed compared to 12 per cent who disagreed or strongly disagreed.
When asked if the government’s agricultural regulations protect the interests of the public, 51 per cent agreed in 2023, making it the lowest in the past five years and public support appears to be trending down.
When asked about support for the use of crop protection products that include herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides, 67 per cent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed, whereas 21 per cent disagreed. Male participants and those with annual incomes exceeding $60,000 were most likely to agree, whereas female participants and those with Indigenous ancestry were least likely to agree.
Three questions were new in this year’s survey. Question nine asked participants if they felt Saskatchewan farmers and ranchers are seeking to continually improve, with 74 per cent in agreement. Question 10 asked if companies making products from Saskatchewan-grown agricultural goods are seeking to continually improve, with 71 per cent in agreement and five per cent in strong disagreement.
Question 11 asked participants if livestock in Saskatchewan are raised in a sustainable manner, with 71 percent in agreement or strong agreement and 10 per cent in disagreement or strong disagreement. Males and participants over the age of 35 were more likely to agree, whereas participants from the Regina and Saskatoon regions were more likely to say they didn’t know.
The biggest improvements were found in question five, “The agriculture industry is open and transparent about their practices.” This question saw a five-percentage point increase compared with 2022 results. Saskatchewan farmers and ranchers being good stewards of the land improved four percentage points, and support for intensive livestock development increased three percentage points.
On the side of disagreement, the largest decline was in question four, “Government’s agriculture regulations protect the interests of the public,” which fell by four percentage points. The overall perception of agriculture in Saskatchewan fell by three percentage points.
Comparison to national results
The Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI) is a non-profit organization with the mandate of helping the Canadian food system earn the public’s trust. The CCFI conducts an annual survey on a national level, and in 2022 they surveyed 2,918 people from across Canada. These results were compared with results from 2023.
As compared to the CCFI results, the 2023 Saskatchewan survey revealed that:
- 83 per cent of Saskatchewan residents have a positive view of the province’s agriculture practices, compared to 66 per cent of Canadians viewing Canadian agriculture positively (2020 comparison).
- 57 per cent of Saskatchewan residents believe the agriculture industry is open and transparent about their practices, compared to 34 per cent federally (2018 comparison).
- 74 per cent of Saskatchewan residents agree farmers and ranchers are good stewards of the land, compared to 40 per cent federally (2022 comparison).
- 21 per cent of Saskatchewan residents do not support the use of crop production products (including herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides), compared with 44 per cent federally (2022 comparison).
A complete copy of the survey can be found online at Saskatchewan.ca under “Building Public Trust in Agriculture.”
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