Sociodemographic characteristics that impact southeastern US consumers' awareness and concern about highly pathogenic avian influenza in dairy products.

The highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 (HPAI) has recently been identified in the dairy industry in the United States. Research has addressed consumer behavior in the context of HPAI among poultry products and birds, but fewer studies have addressed consumer awareness in the dairy context. Given recent HPAI infections in dairy herds and viral loads in fluid milk, a better understanding of consumer awareness and concern could aid in future efforts to inform the public. An online survey of 9 states in the southeastern US was conducted to elicit consumer awareness of HPAI and concern in the context of dairy products. Whether HPAI influenced purchasing behavior of dairy products was also assessed. A total of 5,290 respondents were surveyed with 14.7% (n = 775) having heard of HPAI in the dairy industry. Binary and ordered probit models were used to analyze the data. People who had young children (<12 yr old), farm backgrounds, higher incomes, or lived in metropolitan areas, suburbs, or small towns were more likely to be aware of HPAI than individuals without these attributes. Females were less likely to be aware relative to other genders. Concern over HPAI in dairy products was heightened for participants with young children, with farm backgrounds, or those who live in metropolitan areas (relative to rural areas). Among aware participants, females exhibited a decreased dairy product purchase likelihood in the context of HPAI.