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Pennsylvanian’s Knowledge of Agriculture

In 2005, researchers at Penn State surveyed 1,521 Pennsylvanians in 65 counties to determine their knowledge of and perceptions about agriculture in the state. The study conducted by Fern Willits, A.E. Luloff and Jennifer James was designed to assess the level of agricultural knowledge of Pennsylvanians; ascertain how personal characteristics and frequency of rural visitation related to agricultural knowledge and to the perceptions of citizens about various agricultural issues; explore the relationship of agricultural knowledge to public perceptions of selected agricultural issues; and suggest how information on Pennsylvanians’ knowledge, experiences,  and perceptions of agriculture are relevant to policy makers.

The study results showed that, overall, most participants believed they knew very little about the impacts of agriculture on the state, farming production practices, or agriculture and the environment. Their self-rating on matters related to food and nutrition was somewhat higher, but even here a substantial majority believed they were not well-informed. When asked to respond to factual questions dealing with the different knowledge areas, many participants failed to answer correctly, and even those who did select the right answer were seldom certain of their responses. For some questions, respondents who thought their answers were correct often provided the wrong answers. Many of the answers reflected misperceptions about agriculture and its impact on the state.

The survey analysis showed that direct personal contact with farming and visiting rural areas were clearly the most important experiences associated with higher levels of agricultural knowledge. The findings also showed that people who have greater agricultural knowledge differ in their views and actions from those with less understanding of agriculture, and this, coupled with the low levels of knowledge found in the population studied, suggests that it is important that efforts be made to educate the public about the nature and impacts of agriculture.

Support for this research was provided by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania and a copy of the full report can be obtained from their website at http://www.ruralpa.org/knowledge_of_ag07.pdf

For more information contact:
Walt Whitmer
Extension Associate, Economic & Community Development, Penn State Cooperative Extension
Associate Director, Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development
6C Armsby Building
University Park, PA 16802
(814) 865-0468
(814) 865-3746 (fax)
wew2@psu.edu