Social Marketing

In my last post, I noted that a major concern of researchers is that survey respondents are willing to provide opinions on issues about which they have little knowledge. This is one example of how the research process itself can influence our understanding of the people whose attitudes and behavior we are studying. The simple act of asking people questions becomes more complex when you consider that the respondent's opinion may not have existed prior to that person hearing the question.

At the Humane Research Council, we know a few things about conducting surveys to gauge public opinion or evaluate the impact of a campaign or program. We are also big believers in the power of surveys -- including online surveys -- when they are used correctly. A new article from Idealware provides an in-depth review of available online survey tools. To that we add a few of our own suggestions.

As I was organizing some old files the other day, I came upon a 10-year vision statement for the animal protection movement, which I wrote for a meeting a couple of years ago. A vision statement is a picture of how you would like the world to be. My 10-year vision is necessarily high-level and incomplete, but it may provide interesting food for thought as we consider the future of animals, their advocates, and the public’s awareness, attitudes, and behavior.

Is grassroots animal activism still relevant in the United States? Does a grassroots movement even exist anymore? For a cause like animal advocacy, which has yet to reach mainstream proportions, an "army" of committed volunteers is essential for positive momentum. For the animal protection movement to be successful in the long-term, we will need to rebuild our grassroots organizations and networks and develop closer relationships between local and national groups. Here are five ideas to do just that.

Take a look around: Despite decades, even centuries of work by advocates, people still have a long way to go on a variety of important issues like race, gender, poverty, etc. The same is true of animal advocacy, which by comparison is a relatively young cause. But in spite of the arguably slow progress of advancing the status of animals in today's society, there is reason for advocates to be optimistic.

In animal and environmental advocacy circles, the debate over what makes effective advocacy is a long-standing one that isn't likely to be resolved soon. But as thoughtful activists, it's our job to continuously audit our own efforts and make improvements when possible. A recent report from the World Wildlife Fund provides some interesting takeaways for the environmental movement that are also quite relevant for advocates focused on animal issues.