Assessing Perceptions Toward Aquatic Animal Welfare: A Study on the Perspectives of Educators, Students and Aquaculture Industry Stakeholders in South and South-Central Vietnam

This study investigated the perceptions of AAW among educators (n = 47), students (n = 359), and aquaculture sector stakeholders (n = 34) in key aquaculture regions of South and South-Central Vietnam. Using a mixed-methods survey, perception scores, understanding of core welfare concepts, curricular coverage, and willingness to pay (WTP) for higher-welfare products were assessed. Although perception scores were high across surveyed groups, only 5.57% of students identified most of the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare, while 17.0% showed no understanding of welfare. This highlighted a gap between awareness and understanding, leading to the development of the Awareness Depth Gap Framework. A small but statistically significant negative correlation (Kendall-Theil -Sen slope = -0.28, <i>p</i> < 1.25 × 10^-12) indicated that greater AAW curricular inclusion was associated with stronger welfare attitudes. Willingness to pay modest premiums (6-10%) for higher-welfare products increased non-linearly with higher perception scores among educators and students. In contrast, aquaculture sector stakeholders appeared to prioritise economic factors over welfare. These results highlight the need for structured AAW curricula and community collaborative education to close knowledge gaps. This study provides the first empirical insights into AAW perceptions across the education and aquaculture sectors in Vietnam.