U.S. Consumer Perceptions of Food and Pork Production Sustainability: A Cluster-Based Audience Segmentation Analysis

Despite the importance of a sustainable food system, prior research has not empirically examined whether general food sustainability perceptions and production-specific sustainability perceptions co-occur consistently across audience segments, which is important for informing targeted communication and education strategies. The current research analyzes perceptions from an audience segmentation perspective to inform tailored communication and education strategies. Specifically, a sample of 905 adults in the United States provided perceptions of food production sustainability in general as well as pork production sustainability in particular. Responses were analyzed using a two-step cluster analysis (hierarchical/Ward's method followed by k-means) based on two sustainability indices reflecting general food sustainability importance and pork-specific sustainability. The results indicate three distinct audience segments with meaningful differences in both general food production and pork production sustainability perceptions: Food Sustainability-First (High/Moderate), Broad Sustainability Advocates (High/High), and Lower Sustainability Salience (Low/Low). Segment differences were further characterized using chi-square tests and multinomial logistic regression, indicating that sex, age category, education, and metro/non-metro status contributed to segment classification, with the Broad Sustainability Advocates segment more likely to include female, metro, and higher-education respondents. The study findings indicate opportunities for segment-specific communication and education to address motivations and barriers and support transitions toward more sustainable agri-food consumption.