Animal Welfare Attitudes: Effects of Gender and Diet in University Samples from 22 Countries

Animal Welfare Attitudes (AWA) are defined as human attitudes towards the welfare of animals in different dimensions and settings. Demographic factors, such as age and gender are associated with AWA. The aim of this study was to assess gender differences among university students in a large convenience sample from twenty-two nations in AWA. A total of 7914 people participated in the study (5155 women, 2711 men, 48 diverse). Participants completed a questionnaire that collected demographic data, typical diet and responses to the Composite Respect for Animals Scale Short version (CRAS-S). In addition, we used a measure of gender empowerment from the Human Development Report. The largest variance in AWA was explained by diet, followed by country and gender. In terms of diet, 6385 participants reported to be omnivores, 296 as pescatarian, 637 ate a vegetarian diet and 434 were vegans (n = 162 without answer). Diet was related with CRAS-S scores; people with a vegan diet scored higher in AWA than omnivores. Women scored significantly higher on AWA than men. Furthermore, gender differences in AWA increased as gender inequality decreased.

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Political conservatism and the exploitation of nonhuman animals: An application of system justification theory

Group Processes & Intergroup Relations ◽

10.1177/1368430219843183 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 22 (6) ◽

pp. 858-878 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mark R. Hoffarth ◽

Flávio Azevedo ◽

John T. Jost

Keyword(s):

Animal Welfare ◽

Economic System ◽

Social Dominance Orientation ◽

System Justification ◽

Animal Suffering ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

System Justification Theory ◽

Nonhuman Animals ◽

Political Conservatism ◽

Welfare Attitudes

Many people in Western societies tolerate the mistreatment of nonhuman animals, despite obvious ethical concerns about the injustice of animal suffering and exploitation. In three studies, we applied system justification theory to examine the ideological basis of human–animal relations. In Studies 1a and 1b, we showed in both a large convenience sample ( N = 2,119) and a nationally representative sample in the US ( N = 1,500) that economic system justification uniquely explained the relationship between political conservatism and animal welfare attitudes even after adjusting for social dominance orientation. In Study 2, we replicated and extended these findings using more elaborate measures of animal welfare attitudes in the context of an MTurk sample of U.S. respondents ( N = 395). Specifically, we found that conservatism was associated with less support for animal welfare and greater endorsement of speciesism (the belief that humans are morally superior to nonhuman animals) and that individual differences in economic system justification mediated these associations. We discuss several ways in which system justification theory may inform interventions designed to promote support for animal welfare in society at large.

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Attitudes toward food fraud in Israel and Germany

British Food Journal ◽

10.1108/bfj-10-2019-0785 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 122 (7) ◽

pp. 2219-2232

Author(s):

Inna Levy ◽

Pamela Kerschke-Risch

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Online Survey ◽

Public Attitudes ◽

Food Fraud ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Content Type ◽

Kosher Food ◽

And Gender ◽

The Impact

PurposeThe current research focused on attitudes toward food fraud (AFF) and examined the impact of types of food fraud, gender differences, and country of residence.Design/methodology/approachA convenience sample of German (n = 151) and Israeli (n = 496) participants was recruited through an online survey. They filled out a sociodemographic questionnaire and AFF scale, which includes three subscales: organic fraud, kosher fraud, and spraying fraud.FindingsThe results indicate that there is a significant effect of type of fraud, country of residence, and gender. German participants expressed more negative attitudes toward organic food fraud and less negative attitudes toward kosher fraud than Israeli participants. Women expressed more negative attitudes toward organic and kosher food frauds than men.Originality/valueThis study offers insight into cross-cultural and gender differences in attitudes toward food fraud. The findings suggest that public attitudes toward food fraud represent not just severity of possible consequences, but also environmental and religious aspects of consumption, norms and culture.

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Gender Differences in the Factors Associated With the Fear of COVID-19 Among Taiwanese Older People

INQUIRY The Journal of Health Care Organization Provision and Financing ◽

10.1177/00469580211055587 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 58 ◽

pp. 004695802110555

Author(s):

Yueh-Ping Li ◽

Chung-Ying Lin ◽

Yi-Jie Kuo ◽

Yu-Pin Chen ◽

Mark D. Griffiths

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Older People ◽

Older Women ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Preventive Behaviors ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Outpatient Departments ◽

And Gender ◽

Positive Effect

Objectives: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, older people are threatened, and there may be different psychological responses toward COVID-19 between women and men. The present study explored the factors and gender differences related to the fear of COVID-19 among older women and men in Taiwan. Methods: Geriatric patients (n = 139; 42 men; mean age = 71.73 years) who visited outpatient departments were recruited. They self-reported demographic data and completed questions asking about (i) their fear of COVID-19, (ii) whether they paid attention to COVID-19 news, (iii) whether searched for COVID-19 news, (iv) whether they believed in COVID-19 news, and (v) their preventive COVID-19 behaviors. Results: Both women and men reported a low fear of COVID-19, paid close attention to COVID-19 news, and practiced good preventive COVID-19 infection behaviors. The perceived chance of COVID-19 infection was a significant factor contributing to the fear of COVID-19 among both women and men. Preventive behaviors had a positive effect in lowering the fear of COVID-19. News about COVID-19 had a negative effect in lowering the fear of the disease among women but not men. Conclusions: As the performing of preventive COVID-19 infection behaviors was associated with a lower fear of COVID-19, healthcare providers should consider strategies for improving preventive behaviors among older people to help ease their worries and fears concerning COVID-19.

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Attitudes toward Animals and Their Welfare among Italian Veterinary Students

Veterinary Sciences ◽

10.3390/vetsci6010019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 19 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Federica Pirrone ◽

Chiara Mariti ◽

Angelo Gazzano ◽

Mariangela Albertini ◽

Claudio Sighieri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Animal Welfare ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Geographical Location ◽

Attitude Scale ◽

Nonparametric Tests ◽

Veterinary Students ◽

The Public ◽

Veterinary Profession ◽

A Value ◽

Welfare Attitudes

As members of the public and the veterinary profession are increasingly concerned about animal welfare, there has been an increased scholarly interest in the attitudes of veterinarians and students toward animals, as these may impact human behavior, which ultimately impacts animal welfare. Here we investigated Italian veterinary students’ demographic data and perceptions about nonhuman animal welfare issues that might be predictive of their attitudes. A survey eliciting information about demographics, knowledge, experience, and perceptions regarding different categories of animals, and including the Animal Attitude Scale (AAS), was administered to undergraduate veterinary medicine students in three Italian universities. Data were analyzed using nonparametric tests, and a value of p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. In total, 876 students completed the questionnaire, with females (75.1%) making up a majority of students in all years of the course. Although veterinary students showed pro-animal welfare attitudes (mean score = 64.20 ± 0.24 out of 100), the findings suggested that year of study, gender, and geographical location had a significant impact (p < 0.05). In this study, we found a set of factors that, either individually or combined, help predict a student’s attitude toward animal welfare issues, which will be useful in improving the curriculum strategy in veterinary education in Italy.

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Brief Report. The PCL-R and Gender

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027//1015-5759.16.3.147 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 147-149 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

Martin Grann

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Sexual Behavior ◽

Discriminant Analysis ◽

Juvenile Delinquency ◽

Violent Offenders ◽

Matched Pairs ◽

Psychopathy Checklist ◽

Psychopathy Checklist Revised ◽

And Gender

Summary: Hare's Psychopathy Checklist - Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 1991 ) was originally constructed for use among males in correctional and forensic settings. In this study, the PCL-R protocols of 36 matched pairs of female and male violent offenders were examined with respect to gender differences. The results indicated a few significant differences. By means of discriminant analysis, male Ss were distinguished from their female counterparts through their relatively higher scores on “callous/lack of empathy” (item 8) and “juvenile delinquency” (item 18), whereas the female Ss scored relatively higher on “promiscuous sexual behavior” (item 11). Some sources of bias and possible implications are discussed.

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Personal Problem Solving of Partners in Divorce Proceedings

Rorschachiana Journal of the International Society for the Rorschach ◽

10.1027/1192-5604/a000053 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 82-103 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tereza Soukupova ◽

Petr Goldmann

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Problem Solving ◽

Thematic Apperception Test ◽

Scoring Systems ◽

Personal Control ◽

Personality Characteristics ◽

Personal Problem ◽

Thematic Apperception ◽

And Gender ◽

The Given

Abstract. The Thematic Apperception Test is one of the most frequently administered apperceptive techniques. Formal scoring systems are helpful in evaluating story responses. TAT stories, made by 20 males and 20 females in the situation of legal divorce proceedings, were coded for detection and comparison of their personal problem solving ability. The evaluating instrument utilized was the Personal Problem Solving System-Revised (PPSS-R) as developed by G. F. Ronan. The results indicate that in relation to card 1, men more often than women saw the cause of the problem as removable. With card 6GF, women were more motivated to resolve the given problem than were men, women had a higher personal control and their stories contained more optimism compared to men’s stories. In relation to card 6BM women, more often than men, used emotions generated from the problem to orient themselves within the problem. With card 13MF, the men’s level of stress was less compared to that of the women, and men were more able to plan within the context of problem-solving. Significant differences in the examined groups were found in those cards which depicted significant gender and parental potentials. The TAT can be used to help identify personality characteristics and gender differences.

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