Data and Statistics

Every year, the Humane Research Council conducts the Animal Tracker survey to determine attitudes and beliefs regarding issues of relevance to animal advocates. In Wave 1 of this study, conducted in 2008, we asked over 1,500 people the following question: "Social and political movements use a variety of tactics to create change for their issues. In general, how much do you support or oppose each of the following tactics?" We asked specifically about the following tactics: anti-cruelty investigations, using media to reach the public, speaking in schools, filling lawsuits to protect animals, state ballot initiatives lobbying government officials, calling for product boycotts, and demonstrating or protesting.

Gender is a very important factor when considering people's perceptions toward animal issues, including vegetarianism and veganism (veg*nism). Although estimates vary, it is clear that the majority of people who are sympathetic toward animal issues and identify as veg*n are women. In a 2005 survey of the literature on veg*nism, HRC concluded that about 63% of vegetarians are female.

Today animal protection advocates will gather on beaches along the California coastline to ask President Obama to oppose a new whaling regulation proposed by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The proposed law would lift the ban on commercial whaling that it originally instituted in 1986, introducing instead a law allowing countries to hunt whales for commercial purposes, within the limits of specified quotas.

Written by Diane Venberg, one of HRC's 2010 interns, this wonderful overview of HumaneSpot.org shows the breadth of our research database and highlights a number of important studies. Be sure to give this blog a read if you've been wanting a taste of what HumaneSpot.org has to offer before applying for access. And if you have any research that you think should be included in our database, be sure to let us know.

As those of us at HRC mention regularly, the purpose of conducting research is often to overcome (or validate) our own assumptions and biased viewpoints. It can be difficult for advocates who feel strongly about animal protection to understand the attitudes and behavior of those who are less moved by the suffering of animals. To really know what non-advocates think - and why - it is essential to ask them directly and then filter their responses through rigorous analysis. You may be surprised by the answers and how different they can be from the beliefs of animal advocates.

Ten years ago, when we founded the Humane Research Council (HRC), some animal advocates were skeptical when we made the case for investing in strategic research... How things have changed over the last decade! No longer is research an afterthought in animal advocacy; it now occupies its own seat at the table as the animal protection movement has realized research’s vital role in campaign planning and execution.

For a brief period in our early history, the Humane Research Council (HRC) was called "ARmedia," which was short for "Animal Rights Media." Our original intent was to produce compelling outreach and advertising materials for animal protection groups, but we quickly realized that there was no solid data on which to base the design of effective materials, so we shifted gears to focus on research. Doing so required not only a change in strategy, but also a re-branding to avoid the use of contentious and potentially misleading terms like "animal rights."