Attitude to animals and empathy : comparing animal protection and general community samples

Although a number of studies have examined a range of demographic and personality variables that may impact upon attitudes towards the treatment of non-human species little consensus has been reached within the literature. The aim of the current study was to evaluate and assess levels of human-directed empathy and attitudes towards the treatment of animals in two diverse populations, namely the general community (n=543) and those within the animal protection field (n=389). Both groups of participants completed the Attitude towards the Treatment of Animals Scale (AAS) and the Davis Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), a measure of human-directed empathy. Comparisons between the two samples indicated that those within the animal protection community scored more highly on both the animal attitude and human-directed empathy measures. Correlational analyses revealed a positive relation between AAS and IRI scores for both samples whilst the strength of the correlation was greater for those within the animal protection sample. These findings are discussed

Empathy and attitudes to animals

There is increasing support for the idea that human attitudes to animals may be indicative of human-human empathy. This has implications for the treatment of empathy deficits and related anti-social behaviors. The purpose of the present study was to explicitly investigate links between human-human empathy and attitudes to animals. The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and Animal Attitude Scale (AAS) were administered to 194 undergraduate Sociology and Psychology students. A significant correlation between empathy levels, gender, companion animal ownership and attitudes to animals was found. Implications of these findings are discussed

An overview of surveys on how people view animal experimentation: some factors that may influence the outcome

Many factors may influence the outcome of surveys on how people view the use of animals in research. Some aspects are related to the instrument used, whereas others are related to the characteristics of the respondents. Conducted in Western countries, the study is primarily a review of 56 surveys targeting scientists, students, and the public. Surveys were obtained from searching online databases and reference lists, or directly from authors whose surveys were not otherwise available. Factors related to the instrument listed include the questionnaire used and wording of questions. Factors related to the respondent include age, gender, upbringing, religion, knowledge, education, and practical experience. Results demonstrate that there was great discrepancy in acceptance/opposition estimations reported in different surveys. It is concluded that interpretation and comparison of results from different surveys should be made with caution