Americans prefer organic over conventional

When given a choice, American consumers prefer to purchase organic foods, according to the Thomson Reuters-NPR Health Poll. Thomson Reuters and NPR developed the monthly poll to gauge attitudes and opinions on a wide range of health issues. In the latest survey in the series, 58 percent of Americans say they choose organic over conventionally produced foods when they have the opportunity, a number that spikes higher among both young and highly educated respondents. Sixty-three percent of respondents under the age of 35 prefer organic foods, as do 64 percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or more. Among those who prefer organic foods, 36 percent said they do so to support local farmer’s markets and 34 percent said they wanted to avoid exposure to toxins in non-organic foods.