Survey Validation and Optimization to Assess Public Awareness of Origin Protected Designation (PDO) Cheeses: Majorero and Palmero Cases.

Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) products play a vital role in preserving cultural heritage, supporting rural economies, and promoting local breed biodiversity. However, few studies have validated instruments capable of assessing consumer knowledge, perceptions, and trust regarding PDO labels and authenticity cues. This study validated and optimized a survey instrument designed to evaluate consumer attitudes towards PDO cheeses, using Majorero and Palmero cheeses from the Canary Islands as case studies. A total of 539 valid questionnaires were collected before and after structured educational sessions. Cross-validated Canonical Discriminant Analysis techniques were employed to assess the reliability, discriminatory capacity, and predictive accuracy of survey items. Results revealed significant improvements in consumer knowledge and perceptions following the educational intervention. Participants demonstrated greater understanding of PDO regulations, increased confidence in sensory evaluation, and enhanced ability to identify authenticity cues. The discriminant model achieved a classification accuracy of 96.23% (AUC = 0.9925), confirming excellent predictive performance. Consumer attitudes were primarily influenced by territorial attachment, familiarity, and trust in certification rather than technical knowledge. These findings support educational and marketing strategies to strengthen origin labeling, improve consumer literacy, reinforce authenticity perceptions, and promote PDO products' cultural and economic sustainability while providing a validated framework for future consumer research.