Perception of Global Food Security Issues in the German Public

This article presents results from an opinion survey carried out in Germany on the topic of global food security. The survey was implemented online with a sample of 1.200 individuals. Global food security is not a major topic for most Germans. Hunger is seen as a problem, but primarily related to acute crisis situations that the mass media report about. Responses on the perceived causes of hunger and the suitability of strategies to improve the situation demonstrate that issues of food distribution are considered more important than issues of production. Efforts to increase productivity in agriculture are not considered very important. Germans rank environmental protection higher than food security objectives. It appears that some blanket judgments are simply transferred: what is considered good (bad) for the environment is also judged positively (negatively) for food security. This affects perceptions of the role of organic farming, agrochemicals, and genetically modified crops. Creating higher awareness of food security issues and challenges and overcoming widely held prejudices will require better public communication.