Attitudes toward Animals: The Effect of Priming Thoughts of Human-Animal Similarities and Mortality Salience on the Evaluation of Companion Animals

2009 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Loughnan ◽  
Michael Halloran ◽  
Ruth Beatson
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Mortality Salience ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Pet Owners ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Attitudes Toward Animals ◽  
Human Animal ◽  
People’S Attitudes ◽  
Attitudes Toward Pets

AbstractHuman attitudes toward nonhuman animals are complex and quite contradictory. They can range between extremely negative (animal cruelty) to positive (treating companion animals like human surrogates). Attitudes toward animals are especially negative when people think about human creatureliness and personal mortality. This paper investigates people's attitudes toward highly valued animals (companion animals). The research presented here tested whether companion-animal caregivers would respond to reminders of human creatureliness and mortality salience (MS) with more negative attitudes toward pets. Participants completed an online survey in which MS and human-creatureliness conditions were manipulated. Results showed that, under MS, even pet owners responded to reminders of human creatureliness with less positive attitudes toward the average pet. Thus, the effects observed in previous research extend to more popular animals, even among people with presumably positive attitudes toward animals.

Companion Animals in Thailand

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 569-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samia R. Toukhsati ◽  
Clive J.C. Phillips ◽  
Anthony L. Podberscek ◽  
Grahame J. Coleman
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Telephone Survey ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
Personal Agency ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Hierarchical Multiple Regression ◽  
Normative Pressure ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Human Animal

The prevalence of companion animal caregiving was estimated, and demographic and psychosocial factors that predict sterilization behaviors in caregivers in Thailand were identified. Thai nationals (n = 494) were recruited by random for the Culture and Human-Animal Interactions (chai) telephone survey. The results showed 74% of respondents had a cat and/or a dog (60% dogs, 23% cats); 22% of dogs and 19% of cats were sterilized. Logistic Regression analyses revealed positive attitudes toward desexing, and the perception that important others would endorse this practice best predicted sterilization practices. For caregivers with unsterilized companions, Hierarchical Multiple Regression analyses revealed perceived capability to sterilize, positive attitudes toward desexing, and perceived normative pressure to sterilize accounted for 35% and 45% of the variance in intentions to sterilize dogs and cats, respectively. Culturally sensitive initiatives targeting negative attitudes, enhancing normative pressure, and increasing perceived personal agency to sterilize may improve sterilization rates in Thailand.

scholarly journals The Influence of Human–Animal Interactions on Mental and Physical Health during the First COVID-19 Lockdown Phase in the U.K.: A Qualitative Exploration

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 976 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Shoesmith ◽  
Lion Shahab ◽  
Dimitra Kale ◽  
Daniel S. Mills ◽  
Catherine Reeve ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Human Animal ◽  
Human Animal Interaction ◽  
Animal Interaction ◽  
The Impact

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic presents an opportunity to explore the role of animals as sources of emotional and physical support during a period when most of the population is experiencing social and environmental challenges. We investigated how companion animal owners perceived the influence of human–animal interaction on their physical and mental health during the first COVID-19 lockdown phase in the U.K., and what concerns they had regarding their animals at this time. We also explored the impact of participants’ interaction with non-companion animals during this phase. A cross-sectional online survey of U.K. residents aged over 18 was conducted between April and June 2020. The final item of the survey invited open-ended free-text responses, allowing participants to describe any experiences and/or perceptions of their human–animal relationships during the COVID-19 lockdown phase. A qualitative thematic analysis of responses was undertaken. Four main themes related to the following aspects of human–animal interactions during the COVID-19 lockdown phase were identified: the positive impact of animal ownership during the COVID-19 lockdown (e.g., amelioration of wellbeing and mental health), concerns relating to animal ownership during the COVID-19 lockdown (e.g., concerns over animals carrying the COVID-19 virus), grief and loss of an animal during the COVID-19 lockdown and the impact of engaging with non-companion animals during the COVID-19 lockdown. The findings complement and extend previous insights into the impact of human–animal interaction with both companion and non-companion animals. They also highlight the challenges of caring for an animal during the lockdown phase and indicate the need to consider the development of further targeted support strategies, such as “day care” for the companion animals of key workers in this context.

scholarly journals The Perceived Impact of The First UK Covid-19 Lockdown on Companion Animal Welfare and Behaviour: A Mixed-Method Study of Associations with Owner Mental Health

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 6171
Author(s):  
Emily Shoesmith ◽  
Luciana Santos de Assis ◽  
Lion Shahab ◽  
Elena Ratschen ◽  
Paul Toner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Companion Animal ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Human Animal

Background: Companion animals may be a positive presence for their owners during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the welfare of a companion animal is strongly influenced by the behaviour of their owners, as well as their physical and social environment. We aimed to investigate the reported changes in companion animal welfare and behaviour and to examine the association between these changes and companion animal owners’ mental health. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of UK residents over 18 years of age was conducted between April and June 2020 (n = 5926). The questionnaire included validated, bespoke items measuring outcomes related to mental health, human-animal bonds and reported changes in animal welfare and behaviour. The final item of the survey invited open-ended free-text responses, allowing participants to describe experiences associated with human-animal relationships during the first UK lockdown phase. Results: Animal owners made up 89.8% of the sample (n = 5323), of whom 67.3% reported changes in their animal’s welfare and behaviour during the first lockdown phase (n = 3583). These reported changes were reduced to a positive (0–7) and negative (0–5) welfare scale, following principal component analysis (PCA) of 17 items. Participants reported more positive changes for cats, whereas more negative changes were reported for dogs. Thematic analysis identified three main themes relating to the positive and negative impact on companion animals of the Covid-19 pandemic. Generalised linear models indicated that companion animal owners with poorer mental health scores pre-lockdown reported fewer negative changes in animal welfare and behaviour. However, companion animal owners with poorer mental health scores since lockdown reported more changes, both positive and negative, in animal welfare and behaviour. Conclusion: Our findings extend previous insights into perceived welfare and behaviour changes on a very limited range of species to a wider a range of companion animals. Owner mental health status has a clear, albeit small, effect on companion animal welfare and behaviour.

Attitudes

2018 ◽  
pp. 118-158
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Personal Values ◽  
Negative Attitude ◽  
Consumer Attitudes ◽  
Consumer Decision Making ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Consumer Decision ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
People’S Attitudes

There are many options to eat something delicious and fast. Some people like McDonald's, others like Burger King or Wendy's. Some people dislike Dominos while others prefer tacos for breakfast. People's attitudes reflect their likes and dislikes. All the thoughts of individuals, likes and dislikes about objects, constitute their attitudes. Attitude objects are anything that individuals can hold an attitude about. Attitude objects can be physical (food) or abstract (personal values, lifestyles). If a consumer has a negative attitude towards a product, he does not think to try it. Moreover, these attitudes drive consumer decision making. So, to understand consumer attitudes towards their product is critical for marketers. First, they should discover consumer attitudes towards their products. Later they should support positive attitudes consumer have, or they should find ways of changing the negative attitudes of the consumers to positive. This chapter discusses consumer attitudes, its importance, attitude models, and changing consumer attitudes strategies.

scholarly journals Are Negative Attitudes Toward Dreams Just the Inverse of Positive Attitudes Toward Dreams? An Empirical Investigation

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-19
Author(s):  
Michael Schredl ◽  
Nina Burau ◽  
Rebecca Kunkel ◽  
Julia Lanzl
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analysis ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
Negative Attitude ◽  
Dream Recall ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Personality Dimensions ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Confirmatory Factor

As dreaming is a universal phenomenon, it seems natural that everyone has a more or less explicitly defined attitude toward dreams. Recent studies indicate that positive and negative attitude toward dream scales—even given there is considerable overlap—might not be related to the same variables. The findings of the present online survey ( N = 2,056) using 22 attitude items indicated that positive and negative attitudes can be differentiated through confirmatory factor analysis and that variables like age, education, and frequent dream recall are differentially associated with positive and negative attitudes toward dreams. It would be very interesting to expand this study to investigate whether other variables, personality dimensions, general skepticism and so on, are associated with positive and negative attitudes toward dreams in different ways.

Survey of Attitudes Toward Aviation Safety Management System (SMS) Training

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne K. Kearns ◽  
Julie Aitken Schermer
Keyword(s):  
Management System ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Civil Aviation ◽  
Aviation Industry ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Safety Management System ◽  
Learner Analysis ◽  
Positive Attitudes

Abstract. With a growing volume of traffic, the aviation industry is moving to fully embrace a predictive approach to safety management, which requires the implementation of safety management system (SMS) training on an international scale. An online survey was distributed through an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) State Letter to solicit perceptions of SMS training from a variety of international aviation professionals. The survey collected 1,103 complete responses. The results identified robust differences in how SMS training is perceived by men and women and by professionals from different geographic regions. Female respondents had more negative attitudes toward training than did males. Regarding regional differences, Middle Eastern participants had the most positive attitudes while Europeans reported the most negative attitudes toward SMS training. The data suggest caution is warranted before global distribution of SMS training and illustrate the importance of a learner analysis, as individual differences among learners may impact the effectiveness and adoption of SMSs.

Orientations to Nonhuman Animal Welfare: A View from the Border

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 372-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine A. Faver ◽  
Jacqueline D. Muñoz
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Attitude Scale ◽  
Nonhuman Animal ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Mexico Border ◽  
Welfare Attitudes ◽  
Hispanic Serving

This study employed an online survey to investigate the nonhuman animal welfare attitudes and behaviors of 104 social work students (85% female) enrolled in a Hispanic-serving university near the U.S.–Mexico border. Approximately three-fourths of the respondents were moderately or very concerned about animal welfare issues. Level of concern about animal welfare issues was significantly related to four pro-animal welfare behaviors: making one’s yard friendly to small animals, encouraging others to adopt rather than purchase companion animals, purchasing products labeled “not tested on animals,” and avoiding meat and dairy products. Female respondents had significantly higher scores on the Animal Attitude Scale, indicating more positive attitudes toward animals, and women and graduate students were significantly more likely to purchase products labeled “not tested on animals.” The findings of the study suggest that social workers are potential allies for animal welfare advocates.

scholarly journals People and jaguars: new insights into the role of social factors in an old conflict

Oryx ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (5) ◽  
pp. 678-686
Author(s):  
Flavia Caruso ◽  
Pablo G. Perovic ◽  
Andrés Tálamo ◽  
Carolina B. Trigo ◽  
María S. Andrade-Díaz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Formal Education ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Perceptions And Attitudes ◽  
Attitudes And Perceptions ◽  
Conservation Projects ◽  
People’S Attitudes

AbstractThroughout its range in Latin America, the jaguar Panthera onca is threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, and by conflict as a result of coexistence with people. This Near Threatened species is a top predator, and is often illegally hunted. Understanding people's attitudes and perceptions and the factors that could influence them is crucial for the conservation of this species. In this study we assess how knowledge, attitudes and perceptions among people in northern Argentina regarding jaguars vary depending on their level of education, age and occupation. We interviewed 810 people living in and around 10 protected areas in northern Argentina. Positive perceptions and attitudes towards the jaguar were associated with economic benefits that people may receive from the species’ presence, such as income from tourism. Unexpectedly, higher levels of formal education were not associated with more positive attitudes and perceptions. Negative attitudes and perceptions towards the species were determined by fear; people see jaguars as a threat to their lives. This study shows that the socio-economic factors that affect the level of tolerance towards jaguars are not related only to economic losses. Our findings provide information for the design, implementation and evaluation of jaguar conservation projects in Argentina.

scholarly journals PARTICIPATION IN AN INTERGENERATIONAL SERVICE-LEARNING COURSE AND IMPLICIT BIASES

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S201-S201
Author(s):  
Lori Kogan ◽  
Lori Kogan ◽  
Regina Schoenfeld-Tacher ◽  
James Oxley
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Implicit Attitudes ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
Pet Owners ◽  
Human Animal Bond ◽  
Human Animal ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Biases against older adults and people with disabilities can lead to discriminatory behaviors. One way to better understand attitudes towards these populations is through the examination of implicit (unconscious) factors. This paper utilizes The Implicit Association Test, a computer-based categorization task designed to assess implicit or unconscious attitudes, to assess the impact of an intergenerational service-learning course created to support the human animal bond between vulnerable pet owners and their companion animals. This study, using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, assessed the impact of college students’ interactions with older pet owners on these students’ implicit attitudes. Pre- and post-assessment of participating students found statistically significant decreased biases towards older people and people with disabilities after completing the course (p=.032). Results from this study suggest that participating in an intergenerational service-learning course centered around the human animal bond can positively affect implicit attitudes towards older adults or people with disabilities.

scholarly journals Development and Validation of a New Scale to Assess Attitudes and Perspectives Toward Persons With Disabilities

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 331-340
Author(s):  
Youho Myong ◽  
Hyung-Ik Shin ◽  
Jeong-Eun Lee ◽  
Woosup Cho ◽  
You Gyoung Yi
Keyword(s):  
Group Process ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Community Integration ◽  
Nominal Group ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Preliminary Version ◽  
Stage Development ◽  
People’S Attitudes ◽  
Development And Validation

Objective To develop and validate a scale to assess people’s attitudes and perspectives toward persons with disabilities.Methods The three-stage development of the scale included a preliminary version drafted from the literature review and a nominal group process. Thereafter, the draft was examined further and revised through two rounds of Delphi survey by 16 disability experts. Lastly, the psychometric properties of the scale were assessed through an online survey of 1,359 employees at three university hospitals.Results A 32-item scale, defined after two Delphi surveys, was refined into 14 items with four subcategories: community integration, discomfort, charitability, and sense of burdening. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.839 and domain reliability from 0.638 to 0.845. Recent education on disabilities yielded more positive attitudes toward persons with disabilities. Meaningful acquaintances with disabilities yielded more positive attitudes toward persons with disabilities.Conclusion This newly developed scale that measures attitudes toward persons with disability is reliable and valid. A future use of the scale could be to measure attitudinal improvements toward persons with disabilities after awareness education.

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