Attitudes of South Korean consumers toward the prudent use of antimicrobials in livestock animals

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in livestock is a complicated and multi-sectoral risk that threatens public health in the interactions between humans, animals, and environment. Through their increased awareness of AMR issues, consumers can make a significant impact on regulations and strategies to reduce or eliminate the use of antimicrobials use. This study aims to provide evidence-based data for promoting the prudent use of antimicrobials (PUA) in the livestock industry to reduce the risk of AMR and increase animal welfare by identifying consumers' intentions to support PUA practices in livestock farming. An online survey was conducted on 1000 respondents in South Korea to examine their intention to pay more for PUA practices in livestock farming at state and individual levels against their pro-animal attitude, risk perception of antimicrobial overuse, trust in antimicrobial overuse control, and perceived value of PUA practices. The survey data was analyzed using multiple linear regression to identify the determinants of Korean consumers' support for PUA practices. Approximately 86.3% of the respondents supported government-level spending for PUA in livestock farming, and the same portion of respondents intended to pay more for livestock products that complied with the PUA principle. The four attitudinal variables—pro-animal attitude, consumers' risk perception, trust in antimicrobial resistance control, and perceived value of PUA—positively affected both state- and individual-level support. Overall, our findings highlight the Korean consumers' demand for reducing the risk of AMR and their perceived universal value of PUA for humans and animals.