Research In Progress | Completed Projects | Potential Projects | Legacy Projects | Prioritization
These are the main projects currently underway at Faunalytics.
Longitudinal Study of Veg*n Retention
Four years ago, Faunalytics conducted ground-breaking research showing that there are far more former vegetarians and vegans than current ones. Thanks to generous funding from VegFund and the Animal Advocacy Research Fund, we are now conducting a longitudinal study looking at how new veg*ns transition to and maintain their new diets in the crucial early months. In partnership with Carleton University (Ottawa, ON, Canada), we recently launched a six-month longitudinal study looking at which habits, tools, and resources help people stick with the diet over time, so that advocacy groups can target their messages effectively and retain as many as possible.
This study is pre-registered on the Open Science Framework.
Using Social Norms Messages in Advocacy
In this campus-based randomized controlled trial, we will test the efficacy of messages about social norms (other people’s behavior) for reducing meat consumption using real food purchases. This study capitalizes on the skyrocketing popularity of plant-based eating to influence behavior. It will provide valuable information about the best ways to talk about changing trends in meat consumption and veg*nism.
This study is pre-registered on the Open Science Framework.
Why We Retain Some Advocates and Lose Others
As an organization focused on capacity-building, Faunalytics is intensely interested in the question of why some advocates lapse after a few months or years and others stay engaged with the movement long-term. This question is complex and multi-faceted, but very important. Some of the factors we are considering for inclusion in the survey are emotional burnout, social support, feelings of making a meaningful contribution, and perceptions of conflict within the movement.
This study is pre-registered on the Open Science Framework.
Reducing Fish & Chicken Suffering: Harmful Beliefs 
Small-Bodied Animal Research Program
Small-Bodied Animal Research Program
This study, the first in our program of research dedicated to Reducing Fish and Chicken Suffering, will investigate the frequency and implications of beliefs held by the general population with respect to these animals (e.g., “chickens are not smart”, “fish don’t feel pain”). We will source the list of beliefs from a survey of advocates who work in this space. In addition to their frequency, we will examine how each belief is correlated with acceptance or rejection of two key appeals (counterbalanced): one asking people to reduce consumption of these species, one requesting support for welfare reform. This analysis will allow us to identify which are the biggest barriers for institutional and individual campaigns. This study is a necessary first step before beginning experimental investigations so that we can target those investigations in promising areas.
This study will be pre-registered on the Open Science Framework once design is complete.
Twitter Trends: #CageFree, #Vegan, #AnimalRights, and More!
Since February 2019, Faunalytics has been collecting data from Twitter for tweets that include keywords related to plant-based diets, cultured meat, animal welfare and intensive agriculture, effective animal advocacy, and other topics. Once we have a full year of data, we intend to examine trends over time and make this dataset publicly available.
Data-Driven Grant-Making for Animals
Faunalytics is working with a small group of animal funders to create a new database and global mapping tool for animal-related grants. Currently in private beta with about 16,000 grant records, the short-term focus of the tool is to help animal-related funders identify areas of potential need and find opportunities to collaborate with other grantmakers.
