HRC’s Free Research Primer Series

When fellow animal advocates ask me questions about research on animal protection issues, I typically ask them if they have looked at our research primers. In response, I usually hear “Research what? Where?” I am guessing that many advocates, even those of you who follow our work, are not aware of the full wealth of free data we have available. Here I want to highlight HRC’s research primers, since they are a free resource that can help all advocates better understand the issues on which they are working. So let me tell you a little about them.

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Our research primers outline and summarize the current and relevant research on a variety of animal protection topics. And we do this in 5-8 pages so advocates can get a quick understanding of the issue. We currently have seven primers available:

Trapping in the United States

Hunting in the United States

Animal Experimentation

Companion Animals (volume 1)

Companion Animals (volume 2)

Opinions Regarding Farmed Animals

How Many Vegetarians Are There?

Why and Why Not Vegetarian?

We cull through the research reports in HRC's database and summarize the main findings on a variety of major issues within each topic. We also provide a list of specific important findings from studies addressing these issues, along with the study’s name and sponsor so that you can refer back to them in our research database if you would like more information on the topic.

These resources are immensely useful. Most advocates do not have access to the expensive databases that have academic research journals, nor do most advocates have the time to follow the variety of surveys and polls that commercial interests conduct on these topics. The primers put all this information at your fingertips, with the most relevant information highlighted for you. Essentially, the primers are the animal advocate’s version of Cliffs notes.

Thanks largely to the efforts of our amazing summer intern, Megan Galey, most of these primers were just updated. The newest, most timely information on these topics is at your fingertips. The next time you start a campaign, familiarize yourself with the issue and read the appropriate primer. Or, the next time you have a question about the number of hunters in the United States, how many companion animals are in U.S. households, why people choose to be vegetarian, or any other animal protection issue, check out our primers. There is a good chance you will find what you're looking for.