The free-rider deficit in the demand for farm animal welfare-labelled meat

This paper examines the consumers' stated demand for a farm animal welfare label in Germany, where we contrast stated demand in an individual and a collective decision situation. Under the collective decision framing, we find significantly higher support rates for animal welfare-labelled products, indicating the possible existence of free-rider behaviour. In addition, we find determinants of the choice for labelled meat to differ: while normative demeanour is important in both frames, only in the individual purchase situation expected better taste is relatively more important than normative considerations about farm animal welfare. These findings question the success of such labels.