Animal Welfare, Religious Freedom and Political Polarisation: An Experimental Analysis of Consumers’ Valuation of Pre-Slaughter Stunning.

Pre-slaughter stunning, particularly in relation to exemptions for religious slaughter, remains a reoccurring topic in public and political debate in Germany and across Europe (Smith, 2007). This study aims to assess consumers valuation of pre-slaughter stunning in the context of animal welfare and freedom of religious practice in Germany, and examine the role of political orientation in influencing support for the removal of religious exemptions from pre-slaughter stunning. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three conditions; active control, animal welfare and religious freedom, after which they will be required to indicate their support for the removal of religious exemption from pre-slaughter stunning and willingness to take action by signing a petition.