Public attitude towards animal research revealed.

Following surveys conducted in 2014 and 2016, an Ipsos Mori survey carried out on behalf of the Office for Life Sciences between August and September 2018 interviewed 1,011 adults across GB to gauge their acceptance, awareness and attitudes towards the use of animals in scientific research in the UK.
The survey found an increase in the number of people in the UK that do not think animals should be used in any scientific research because of the importance they place on animal welfare, from 31% in 2014 to 38% in 2018. It also found that public opinion on the acceptability of protest and demonstration formats are unchanged. The primary characteristic the public attribute to animal research organisations remains secrecy. Other observations were that animal welfare is becoming a bigger consideration for some members of the public and the link between animal research and human health appears weaker; public trust in the regulation of animal research in the UK remains at levels recorded in previous years; two thirds of the public do not feel well-informed about the use of animals in research, while interest in finding out more about work to find alternatives and improve the welfare of animals in research is high and has risen.
Penny Hawkins, head of the RSPCA Research Animals Department, said: “These results, yet again, show the public’s ongoing and serious concerns for lab animals, concerns that are shared by the RSPCA.”