Views On Animal Experimentation
Public opinion research from Ipsos MORI shows that the majority of the British public accepts animal experimentation for medical research purposes; nine in ten accept animal experimentation to some degree, with 56% stating unconditional acceptance.
Major Findings:
- Slightly more than one quarter of British adults oppose animal experimentation on welfare grounds.
- 17% support a ban on all animal experiments for any form of research, down from 26% in 1999.
- 1% of people think it is acceptable for animal rights organizations to damage property, send hate mail or use physical violence against those involved in animal research.
- Some people can accept animal experimentation so long as:
- it is for medical research (75%)
- there is no unnecessary suffering to the animals (74%)
- it is only conducted for life-threatening diseases (53%)
- there is no alternative (70%)
- 45% are willing to accept animal experimentation to test chemicals which could harm people; 40% would accept it for testing chemicals which could harm wildlife or the environment
In general, public opinion of animal experimentation is similar to that noted in 2007, though some changes were noted:
- A smaller proportion of British adults say they have a lack of trust in the regulatory system, 35% in 2007 to 30% in 2008.
- In 2008, 51% of people “tended to agree” that Britain probably has tough rules governing animal experimentation, compared to 46% who thought similarly in 2007,
- In 2008. 15% of British adults were neutral about whether the rules on animal experimentation were well enforced, compared to 19% in 2007.
- In 2008, fewer adults (10%) agreed “strongly” that scientists do not cause unnecessary suffering to animals being experimented on compared to 15% in 2007.