Survey
The survey included 28 questions aimed at understanding the background, food preferences, attitudes, and policy preferences of respondents. Respondents were also asked to rank several specific policy options within four policy categories—school food, nutrition/food quality, food security, and local food production—and to rank the policy categories in order of importance. Additionally, respondents were asked if they would be willing to join a hypothetical food policy council by paying annual dues (i.e., $25, $50, $75, $100, $200, or more) and/or volunteering in an advocacy, education, or community organizing capacity. To determine precisely what type of Alabamian might be interested in food policy and the AFPC, the survey also included questions to determine how respondents defined “local food,” where they believed much of their food was produced, their general attitudes on food insecurity and policy, and basic demographic information such as political leanings and religiosity.
Findings From the nine listening sessions, 228 individuals out of nearly 240 participants completed the survey. Out of our respondents, 65.8 percent are female and 27.6 percent are male. The average age
is 39.6 years old, the average household size is 2.4 persons, and 38.2 percent reported they are married. Our survey respondents are broadly reflective of those interested in a statewide food policy council in Alabama but not necessarily the population at large, as they were predominantly white (76.1 percent), hold advanced degrees (30.7 percent with graduate and/or professional degrees), and are high-income earners (21.9 percent with households incomes of $100,000 or greater). Issue ranking
Overall, the most important issue category was food insecurity (hunger), with 53.1 percent (121) of respondents indicating it was their top priority issue, followed by nutritional quality, school food, and local food production. For each policy issue, we provided respondents’ policy options or statements. The top policy option associated with each issue category is noted in Table 1. Perceptions of the Agrifood System
Most respondents (85.1 percent) say they care where their food is produced. However, 29 percent (66 respondents) indicate that they do not know where their food is produced, 11.4 percent claim the food they purchased was produced in the state, 3.5 percent indicated that it was produced within 50 miles of their residence, and 2.2 percent indicate
that it was produced within 25 miles of home. Of the respondents, 69.3 percent strongly agree that there are people in Alabama who are food insecure (hungry), 44.7 percent indicate that they strongly agree that state policies are needed to reduce food insecurity, and 46.5 percent strongly agree that they would be willing to support a policy that reduces food insecurity. In the survey, we asked respondents to comment on their religious views, as religious views may influence perceptions of challenges and solutions. Those who say religion is an important part of their daily life are more likely to indicate that food security was their top-ranked issue than those who indicated religion is not an important part of their 21 daily life. Dues and Volunteering
Of respondents, 63.2 percent (144) said they would be willing to pay annual dues to join the AFPC; on average, respondents were willing to pay $42.92. On average, respondents also indicated they are willing to volunteer 3.86 hours a month, depending on the activity. When asked what kind of volunteer activity they would be most comfortable with, 37.7 percent said they would attend monthly organizing meetings, 24.1 percent would meet with elected officials, and 19.7 percent