Public Attitudes To Animal Research In 2016

Findings of a 2016 survey on current public awareness and attitudes towards the use of animals in research. The survey also examines attitudes towards, and trust in, the regulatory system and the people who work with animals in research.

This is the second wave of a tracker survey, first carried out in 2014 by Ipsos. The survey is based on a long-term survey that ran between 1999 and 2014, but as the questions have changed, direct comparisons between pre-2014 data and this year’s results are not possible.

 

On many measures, public opinion on this topic is unchanged between 2016 and 2014.

 

Key research findings include:

  • A majority of the public do not feel well-informed about the use of animals in research in the UK – only one third (34%) say they feel either very or fairly well informed, a similar finding to 2014 when 30% felt well informed.
  • Two thirds (65%) say they can accept the use of animals in research as long as it is for medical purposes, and there is no alternative. Public acceptance has remained at the same level since 2014, when 68% said the same thing.
  • Many people continue to believe that cosmetics testing on animals is allowed in the UK (35% - up from 31% in 2014) although testing cosmetic products and their ingredients on animals was banned in the UK in 1998 and across the EU in 2013.

Download

The author(s)

Related news

  • KEYS: Our World in Motion
    E mobility Webinar

    [Webinar] KEYS: Our World in Motion

    At our next KEYS webinar, we’ll be launching the inaugural Ipsos Mobility Report.
  • [Webinar] Real evidence from real experiences: Patient Centric Evidence
    Healthcare Webinar

    [Webinar] Real evidence from real experiences: Patient Centric Evidence

    Regulators, payers and clinicians are asking for more than traditional real world evidence (RWE). They want to understand how treatments affect people’s daily lives - not just what is written in the case report form. But how can you build patient-centric evidence that stands up to scientific, regulatory and commercial scrutiny?
  • Battle For Attention - KEYS Webinar from Ipsos
    Communications Events replay

    [Webinar] KEYS: Battle For Attention

    In today’s hyper-fragmented landscape, communicating using short-form content and social media platforms is an essential part of our toolkit. But are they better suited to short-term engagement rather than long-term brand building? And what does genuinely innovative and creative advertising look like these days?