Views on the use of animals in scientific research

This report presents the findings of a 2012 survey on awareness of, and public attitudes towards, the use of animals in scientific research. The study also looks at awareness of possible alternatives to the use of animals in scientific research.

This is the twelfth wave of research which Ipsos (and previously MORI) has conducted. In previous years the work has been sponsored by the Medical Research Council (in 1999), New Scientist magazine (in 1999), the Coalition for Medical Progress (in 2002 and 2005), the Department of Trade and Industry (in 2006), BERR (in 2007) and BIS (since 2008). In 2012, the study was sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

Technical Note

To ensure comparability, all waves of the research have been conducted using nationally-representative face-to-face ‘omnibus’ surveys. In the latest wave (conducted on Ipsos’s weekly ‘Capibus’), 1,026 adults from across Great Britain aged 15+ were interviewed in-home from 31 March – 8 April 2012. The data have been weighted by gender, age, region, and social class, to reflect the known 15+ population profile of Great Britain.

The research carried out for this project has been in compliance with the Market Research Society (MRS) / ESOMAR Code, the Data Protection Act, and ISO 20252.