The purchase decision was influenced by several factors. In the present paper two main factors were investigated: production condition and slaughtering method of rabbits as well as preferred purchasing form of rabbit meat. When data were analyzed, we had to keep in mind that they represented a group of people, i.e., mainly students and highly educated persons who made up approximately 90% of all respondents.
3.1. Production Methods and Slaughtering
The effect of origin, production system and slaughtering method on purchase decision is shown in
Figure 1. Significant differences were found among different factors (
p < 0.001). A mean score above 4 shows that the factor was very important. That is, respondents highly valued the origin of rabbit and the feeding method. Origin was not important for the quality of meat, but it indicates a commitment to local (or national) products. The Spanish surveys show this clearly [
15,
16]. In their studies the most important origin attribute was the Catalonian rabbit, followed by Spanish rabbits, while imported (foreign) rabbit meat was less preferred.
The importance of feeding had a similar score to that of the origin (
Figure 1). Indeed, one of the most important factors in terms of meat quality could be the feeding [
1,
3], which can be related to health.
The housing and level of processing received lower points by 0.15–0.19 (
p < 0.05) than those of origin and feeding (
Figure 1). The demand for welfare-friendly animal products has increased in recent years mainly in EU countries [
39]. Currently, housing and animal welfare are the focus of consumer interest. These can significantly influence consumers’ intention to buy and consume any animal product. As a result, this factor was rated close to 4.
The level of processing is very important for people who cook rabbit food. Some people like cooking traditional food, but there are more and more people, especially young, who spend less time in the kitchen and prefer buying semi-prepared and ready-made products [
40,
41]. As the value (3.90) in
Figure 1 shows, this was an important aspect for the respondents. Therefore, in the second part of this paper we would deal with this topic in more detail.
The slaughtering method could be in close connection with welfare; this is why respondents gave it a high value, and the difference was not significant between them (
Figure 1). Another option is that, when respondents scored the slaughtering method, some might have associated it with the meat appearance in the store or in the butcher’s shop.
The lowest value was given for breed (
Figure 1). The differences between hybrids and meat type breeds in terms of meat quality are weak [
3]. Thus, the low value is professionally justified.
The role of origin, production system and slaughtering method highly depended on the nationality of the respondents, their country of residence.
According to our knowledge the impact of gender’s preference on rabbit meat has been hardly investigated. It seems females were more sensitive, so they got higher scores by 0.13–0.45 (
p < 0.05) for all factors examined than males. The differences were the highest in the case of slaughtering (0.45) and housing methods (0.34), the differences were the smallest regarding origin and breed. In general, females were more sensitive to housing conditions and welfare [
42], 55% of females and 27.4% of males considered these very important [
43].
The age of respondents affected significantly the scores for origin, feeding method and breed (
Table 2), and no significant effects were found in housing condition, slaughtering and level of processing. All factors were considered to be more important by the age group of 30–49 years. The feeding method was also important for ages of 50–59 and the breed for ages 60+. Generally, the youngest generation gave the lowest values. So, it seems that middle-aged people were interested the most where the rabbit meat originates from and under what conditions it was produced, in contrast with the young generation. This is a general attitude of young people regarding meat consumption, not just rabbit meat [
44]. Despite of the clear trends, the difference was only significant between the youngest and the other age groups in origin, between the groups of people aged 18–29 and of people 50–59 in breed, with a higher value for the younger group, and between the group of people aged 40–49 years and the youngest or the oldest group in feeding. Szendrő [
26] also found that the housing system of rabbits was important for respondents at ages 30–39, and that of the feeding method for people aged 40–49 years.
There are two options for examining the production method and purchase form depending on the countries. One when comparing the countries in each factor, and the other when comparing the factors in each country. First we evaluated the effect of country on the different factors.
The significantly highest values for origin were given in France, Italy and Hungary (4.45–4.65) followed by Brazil and Poland (also above 4), while the lowest value (2.67) was obtained from the Chinese respondents (
Table 3). Feeding was the most important in Poland (4.47), followed by Italy, Hungary and Mexico (3.96–4.27), while the lowest value was given also in China. Housing has been given an important role in Poland (4.36), and also in Italy, Hungary, Mexico and Brazil (4.00–4.27), while it was the least important in France (3.15). The significantly highest scores for the level of processing were given in Brazil and Poland (around 4.40), but the scores were also near 4.0 in China, Mexico and Hungary (3.87–3.94). Significantly lower values were given in Italy and Spain. It was the least important to French respondents (3.30). For the slaughtering method, the highest score was given by the Brazilian respondents (4.40) followed by Mexicans, then by the Italians and the Polish, and the significantly lowest point was given by the French people (3.05). The breed was a less important factor in all countries. The highest value (3.40) was given by Polish respondents, but it was also high in Hungary. In Spain, France and Brazil low scores (2.13–2.33) were given.
Examining the role of factors within countries, the following could be concluded. In Spain, no factor received a higher score than 4, however, the feeding and breed were the most and the least important factors, respectively (
Table 3). Spanish researchers evaluated the role of origin and brand in detail [
15]. The most valuable origin was the Catalonian (Catalonian identity), followed by Spanish, while the imported rabbit meat was the least preferred.
In Italy the origin, housing condition and feeding were important; the highest value was given for origin, while the breed received a very low value (
Table 3).
In France, the origin was considered to be a very important factor (
Table 3). Feeding, the level of processing that got much lower scores and the breed was not essential. According to another study consumers paid more attention to the French origin [
23], while the information on the welfare of the rabbit breeding was not interesting for respondents. These results are completely consistent with the present investigation.
In Poland, the feeding, level of processing, housing condition and origin received high scores, and among them feeding got the highest ones (
Table 3). Respondents’ perception of the production method and purchase form of rabbit meat may partly differ from those of other European countries, because most rabbits originated from backyard farms [
13], and perhaps rabbit meat is bought in local markets. So, the differences between Polish and other European respondents could be rooted in the different production systems and markets.
In Hungary, the order of the factors above 4 scores was the origin, feeding and housing. The level of processing and slaughtering method were less important to the respondents, and breed got the lowest score (
Table 3). In a former Hungarian study, the housing and feeding also received higher and origin and genotype lower scores [
26].
The order of importance of each factor was different in China compared to European countries. All factors received a low score, which could be connected with the high ratio of pork consumption (Chinese are mainly pork-eaters) Although China is the leader country in rabbit production, which has been increasing rapidly [
44], rabbit meat has not been a traditional meat, that is, it may be related to a lower appreciation of rabbit meat. The highest score was given for the level of processing and the lowest for origin (
Table 3).
In Brazil, the highest scores were given for origin, the level of processing and the slaughtering method. Feeding and housing got a little lower score than 4. In Mexico, the highest scores were given to the slaughtering method, feeding and housing and a little lower to level of processing and origin (
Table 3).
The opinion about animal welfare, where the most important factor is housing, was examined in detail in different European countries by a Eurobarometer [
45]. According to the respondents, the importance of welfare on a 1–10 scale was the highest in Italy and France (7.8, which is similar to the average in the EU), and the lowest in Hungary (7.3) and Spain (6.8). The knowledge about the housing conditions under which animals are farmed was higher in Poland (77%) and France (75%), and low in Hungary (61%) and Spain (48%). Customers’ willingness for shopping patterns increased due to welfare considerations [
46]. It is the highest in Italy and the lowest in Hungary [
46]. Higher values were received for female than for male respondents [
47].