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This study was designed to investigate the attitudes and perceptions of Brazilian dairy advisors toward prolonged cow-calf contact systems (CCC) and their perceived impacts on animal production, welfare and management. We hypothesized that dairy advisors would exhibit predominantly negative attitudes toward CCC mainly driven by concerns related to animal health, management complexity and economic performance, which could ultimately discourage recommendations for its adoption in intensive dairy systems. To test this hypothesis, data were collected through an online questionnaire administered to 236 dairy advisors working in Brazil, including veterinarians, animal scientists and agricultural technicians involved in rural extension services. The questionnaire consisted of open-ended questions, including multiple-choice and 5-point Likert scale items, addressing attitudes toward CCC, dairy cattle welfare, and the advisory role in mediating communication between farmers and society. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four experimental scenarios representing different CCC in a 2 × 2 factorial design, combining level of contact (full vs. partial) and duration of contact (full-time vs. part-time). The resulting dataset comprises ordinal response variables reflecting participants’ attitudes across multiple dimensions, as well as demographic information such as gender, age, and educational background. Data were analyzed using ordinal logistic regression models in RStudio to assess the effects of CCC, gender, and age on participants’ attitudes. Overall, the data support our hypothesis, indicating that Brazilian dairy advisors hold generally negative attitudes toward CCC, regardless of the specific configuration presented. Negative perceptions were particularly evident regarding ease of management and potential impacts on animal health. However, some nuanced patterns emerged: participants perceived animal quality of life more positively in systems combining consistent contact patterns (Full-time Full-contact and Part-time Part-contact) compared to mixed systems. Additionally, attitudes varied according to production context, with more favorable perceptions observed for small-scale farms and systems involving Zebu cattle compared to larger operations with European breeds. Sociodemographic factors also played a significant role. Male participants were less likely than female participants to consider discussions about CCC relevant, and younger male were particularly less supportive of these systems. These findings suggest that gender and age influence how emerging and established professionals perceive innovations in animal welfare practices. The dataset can be interpreted as reflecting the current mindset of key knowledge brokers within the dairy sector who directly influence farmers’ decision-making. As such, these data are highly relevant for identifying barriers to the adoption of alternative management systems aligned with societal expectations.