Around the world, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of animal welfare. As such, drivers of concern for animal welfare and endorsement of ethical consumption are important to understand.

The present research focuses on how companion animal guardianship influences attitudes toward animals and shapes animal product consumption intentions among university students in China — a demographic that will shape the trends of any future market. While animal welfare is a growing global concern, China is still in the early stages of adoption of animal welfare-certified products, thus setting a very particular cultural and economic framework for this research.

For the study, 1,140 university students from Guangdong Province — a region known for its economic development and openness to global ideas — completed a survey that gathered data on demographics, companion animal guardian status, and agreement with various statements about animals and animal welfare. To measure animal empathy, the researchers asked students to rate their agreement with the statement “I feel upset every time I see animals being abused or in pain” on a five-point scale. Similarly, to measure perceptions of animal welfare, students rated their level of agreement on five-point scales with statements that captured ongoing debates in China, such as:

• “Farm animal welfare does not need to be considered since they are eventually slaughtered for food.”
• “Human welfare has not yet been fully met, so it’s not time to consider animal welfare.”
• “The cost of welfare farming is too high and unsuitable for our country’s reality.”
• “Some welfare farming measures are merely commercial gimmicks or a result of curiosity from farmers.”

The researchers also measured willingness to buy and pay a premium for an animal welfare-certified product (milk in this case).

The results indicated that students with companion animals were more empathetic toward animals, scoring an average of 0.186 points more for animal empathy — a small but statistically significant difference. This suggests that living with companion animals nurtures emotional connections that extend to other species.

The proportion of students who rated animal welfare more highly was greater among those with companion animals (by about 10%), as was the proportion with a strong willingness to purchase animal welfare-certified milk (by about 8%). Again, these differences were small but statistically significant. Students with companion animals were willing to pay an additional CNY 0.137 per bottle of milk with an animal welfare label, though the statistical significance was weaker here.

Taken together, these results underline the role of companion animal guardianship in bridging the emotional and perceptual dimensions of animal welfare into practical consumer behavior. This is vital for animal advocates looking to better understand the Chinese context.

This study also highlights the challenges of promoting animal welfare in China. While having companion animals was linked to greater consideration of animal welfare, the researchers note that public awareness in China is relatively low as compared to some Western nations. There is a general misconception regarding the practicality of higher welfare farming and skepticism toward higher welfare-certified products. For example, there were students who agreed with the survey statements that questioned whether such practices were possible or were a mere marketing strategy.

The implications of this research are far-reaching and go beyond China itself. The study contributes to the modest but growing literature on animal welfare attitudes in non-Western contexts. Its findings pinpoint the need to focus on young, educated consumers as a driver of ethical consumption. Moreover, the study shows that companion animal guardianship can serve as a real gateway to societal change as a whole, building up empathy and awareness regarding animals as well as humans.

At the same time, caution is needed not to overestimate the role of companion animal guardianship in ethical consumption. Education and economic capacity play equally important roles. Future efforts at improving animal welfare will have to address such broader systemic challenges, especially in emerging markets like China.

Despite these challenges, it seems that companion animal guardianship in China may indeed be positioned to become a driver of change, proving particularly critical in advancing the cause of animal welfare in the country. This can only be achieved if the government, private sectors, and civic organizations can overcome such obstacles and raise a sense of commitment toward animal welfare.