Garden State not Mad about Cows

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While half of New Jerseyans are "not at all" worried they might be affected by Mad Cow Disease, some have worried enough to change their buying habits. According to the most recent poll by Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind, one in five New Jerseyans say they changed their eating habits by ordering beef less often in restaurants. One in four say they changed their buying habits by bringing home less beef from the market.

A majority of people say they are only a little worried or not at all and have not changed their buying patterns. A large majority also say they have heard or read some or a great deal about the disease affecting the United States. But a minority report differently. A quarter of adult consumers say they are somewhat or very worried that they personally, or someone in their family, might be affected by the disease.

"Because of the media, we are far more sensitive these days to all kinds of food issues from nutrition to sanitation," said Richard J. Wisch, Director of Fairleigh Dickinson's International School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. "You can see the impact of this information in every segment of the food business from McDonald's to Whole Foods."

The findings also suggest that those with children are more likely than those without children to lay off the beef. "I don't feel it's a significant risk for me or my husband, but I don't buy it for my baby," said Kirsten Tripodi, Director of Development for the University's International School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.

Women are also more likely than men to change their habits. "Women are much more careful about food handling procedures," said Tripodi. "Nonetheless," she added, "the average person is far less careful about food safety and cross-contamination than they should be." In addition, those with the lowest incomes, least education, and not employed are more likely than others to shy away from beef.

Just one in four people say they have little or no confidence in the ability of the government to protect the food supply from this disease. "There are no doubt some gaps in the ability of the government to protect us, though the majority of the public is not aware of that" said Tripodi.

The PublicMind poll of 800 randomly selected adults age 18 and over who share in their household's financial decisions was conducted from January 9 through January 18 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points.

Poll Analysis

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