Attitudes Towards Experimentation on Live Animals - Toplines

Q1.a On balance, do you agree or disagree that scientists should be allowed to conduct any experiments on live animals? Base: All Version 1 (949: split-sample)
Summary

Q1.a On balance, do you agree or disagree that scientists should be allowed to conduct any experiments on live animals?Base: All Version 1 (949: split-sample)

Q1.b Some scientists are developing and testing new drugs to reduce pain, or developing new treatments for life-threatening diseases such as leukaemia and AIDS. By conducting experiments on live animals, scientists believe they can make more rapid progress than would otherwise have been possible. On balance, do you agree or disagree that scientists should be allowed to conduct any experiments on live animals?Base: All Version 2 (1,060: split-sample)

  Q1a Q1b Difference
  (949) (1,060) 1a-1b
  % % 177
Strongly agree 4 13 +9
Tend to agree 20 32 +12
Neither agree nor disagree 11 13 +2
Tend to disagree 20 16 -4
Strongly disagree 44 25 -19
Don't know 1 2 +1
Agree 24 45 +21
Disagree 64 41 -23
Net agree -41 +4 +45

Q2. So far as you know, do you think Britain's regulations for controlling animal experiments are stricter, about the same, or not as strict as in most other developed countries?Base: All respondents (2,009: full-sample)

  %
Stricter than in most other developed countries 41
About the same as in most other developed countries 24
Not as strict as in most other developed countries 11
Don't know 24
Stricter/about the same 64
About the same/not as strict 35

Q3. (On this card are a number of goals scientists may have when conducting experiments on live animals). Please tell me whether you approve or disapprove of the use of live mice for each of these, if the mice are not subjected to pain, illness or surgery ...

Q4. And please tell me whether you approve or disapprove of the use of live mice for each of these, if the mice are subjected to pain, illness or surgery ...

Q5. (On this card are a number of goals scientists may have when conducting experiments on live animals). Please tell me whether you approve or disapprove of the use of live mice for each of these, if some of the mice may die ...

Base: All Version 1 (949)

  Q3 Q4 Q5
  App Diss DK App Diss DK App Diss DK
  % % % % % % % % %
To test whether an ingredient for use in cosmetics will be harmful to people 38 61 2 12 86 2 13 84 2
To enable scientists to study how the sense of hearing works 70 27 3 36 61 4 39 57 5
To test whether a garden insecticide will be harmful to people 56 42 3 29 68 3 32 65 3
To ensure that a new painkilling drug is safe and effective 74 24 2 47 49 4 50 46 5
To develop a new painkilling drug 73 25 2 47 50 3 48 47 4
To ensure that a new vaccine against the virus that causes AIDS is safe and effective 77 20 3 56 39 5 59 36 5
To develop a new vaccine against the virus that causes AIDS 77 19 3 57 39 4 60 36 4
To ensure that a new drug to cure leukaemia in children is safe and effective 83 15 2 65 32 4 69 28 4
To develop a new drug to cure leukaemia in children 83 15 2 65 32 4 68 28 3

Q6. (On this card are a number of goals scientists may have when conducting experiments on live animals). Please tell me whether you approve or disapprove of the use of live monkeys for each of these, if the monkeys are not subjected to pain, illness or surgery ...

Q7. And please tell me whether you approve or disapprove of the use of live monkeys for each of these, if the monkeys are subjected to pain, illness or surgery ...

Q8. (On this card are a number of goals scientists may have when conducting experiments on live animals). Please tell me whether you approve or disapprove of the use of live monkeys for each of these, if some of the monkeys may die ...

Base: All Version 2 (1,060)

  Q3 Q4 Q5
  App Diss DK App Diss DK App Diss DK
  % % % % % % % % %
To test whether an ingredient for use in cosmetics will be harmful to people 30 68 2 6 91 2 % 5 92 2
To enable scientists to study how the sense of hearing works 56 40 4 21 75 4 22 73 5
To test whether a garden insecticide will be harmful to people 43 53 3 16 81 3 17 79 4
To ensure that a new painkilling drug is safe and effective 65 31 4 35 61 4 34 61 4
To develop a new painkilling drug 64 32 3 35 60 4 33 63 4
To ensure that a new vaccine against the virus that causes AIDS is safe and effective 69 28 3 44 52 4 42 53 4
To develop a new vaccine against the virus that causes AIDS 69 28 3 44 52 4 43 53 4
To ensure that a new drug to cure leukaemia in children is safe and effective 75 23 2 52 44 5 53 43 4
To develop a new drug to cure leukaemia in children 75 22 2 52 44 5 53 43 5

Q9. Which, if any, of the following things would you say you have done over the last two years or so? Just read out the letter or letters that best apply.Base: All respondents (2,009: full-sample)

  %
Avoided genetically-modified foods 20
Been a vegetarian/vegan 8
Been a member of an organisation involved in animal welfare 7
Been horse-riding 8
Been to a farm 35
Been to a laboratory where experiments are conducted on animals 1
Been to a zoo/safari park/animal park 33
Been fishing 11
Bought 'cruelty-free' cosmetics, not tested on animals 32
Gone for a drive in the countryside/along the coast 69
Owned a pet 55
Taken part in a protest or demonstration against a blood sport - e.g. fox hunting, hare coursing, beagling 2
Taken part in a protest or demonstration against experiments on animals 1
Taken part in a protest or demonstration against the shipment of live farm animals 1
Read a science magazine 22
Signed a petition on any animal welfare issue 20
Studied a scientific subject 12
Taken part in any blood sport - e.g. fox hunting, hare coursing, beagling 1
Walked in the countryside/along the coast 70
Worn a fur coat 1
Written a letter to an MP or editor of a newspaper/magazine protesting against animal experiments 3
Written a letter to an MP or editor of a newspaper/magazine protesting against any blood sport - eg fox hunting, hare coursing, beagling 2
Written a letter to an MP or editor of a newspaper/magazine protesting against the shipment of live farm animals 2
You or a close family member have taken a drug prescribed by a doctor for a serious illness 35
You or a close family member have taken a drug prescribed by a doctor for a serious illness that you knew had been tested on animals 6
Other *
None of these 7
Don't know 0

Technical details

MORI interviewed a representative quota sample of 2 009 adults aged 15+ in 158 parliamentary constituencies in Great Britain from 5-8 March 1999. All interviews were conducted in-home, face-to-face using CAPI (computer assisted personal interviewing) methodology. Data have been weighted to the known profile of the British population.

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