Research In Progress | Completed Projects | Upcoming Projects | Legacy Projects | Prioritization
The high-impact studies described below are those we are currently seeking funding to support. If you are interested in funding one of the research projects described below, please go here to donate. We would also be happy to discuss our research plans with you or provide a full study proposal; please contact us if interested. If you have an idea for a research project you’d like us to consider, you can submit it through the form at the bottom of this page.
Reduction Targets by Demographic
When it comes to animal product consumption, there is no one-size-fits-all approach: a vegetarian pledge could be too much for one person while the person next to them might have gone vegan if that pledge was offered. This study aims to find the best balance of request size versus tractability (the number of people willing to reduce their consumption of animal products) across a wide range of demographic groups and countries. We will recruit participants from the U.S., Brazil, Canada, China, India, and Mexico, and ask participants about their willingness to take a range of pro-animal actions focused mostly on dietary reduction (e.g., vegan after 6pm, meatless Mondays) but also including actions to support welfare initiatives. With the results, we will create a web-based application that models the results in a way that easily enables advocates to compare segments of each country’s populations and identify the optimal ask for each one, minimizing the tradeoff between impact of the change and willingness to try it.
State-by-State Reactions to Potential Legislative Changes
One of the biggest hurdles to getting lawmakers to support or propose welfare legislation is their fear of negative public reaction and its impact on their own political careers. This study will use representative polls in key states and districts to gauge public support for a range of legislative policies dealing primarily with farmed and wild animal welfare. Identifying the regions and issues to target will be done in close collaboration with stakeholders who do this type of work.
Estimating Social Spread of Advocacy
As animal advocacy efforts expand in developing countries without a strong grassroots history, it is crucial that we measure and attend to the impact of both top-down and bottom-up efforts. This study, in which we will conduct a review of the literature on social network analysis and social contagion theory (about how behavior spreads from person to person) will serve as a first step toward realistic impact measurement for grassroots campaigns. Based on this literature review on studies that parallel veg*n diets, we will produce a hypothesis about the amount of behavior spread (to friends and friends of friends) that veg*n advocates might reasonably expect.
