Can Teaching Veterinary and Animal-Science Students about Animal Welfare Affect Their Attitude toward Animals and Human-Related Empathy?

Hazel, Susan J.; Signal, Tania; Taylor, Nicola

doi:10.3138/jvme.38.1.74

Cited by 83 publications

(71 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…One possible explanation for this low rating is that the way this topic is worded may not convey the strong feelings, political pressures, and community opinions that often arise concerning animal welfare. The finding that this was rated lower in senior students is consistent with the known lower levels of empathy toward animals in students in the later years of their program, 21,22 particularly in male students, 13 though there may be important geographical variations 23 and variations for different classes of animals. 24 This apparent desensitization may be a protective mechanism to avoid moral distress, a characteristic that has been identified by veterinary practitioners and students.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

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The Importance of Animal Welfare Science and Ethics to Veterinary Students in Australia and New Zealand

Freire¹,

Phillips

Verrinder

et al. 2017

Journal of Veterinary Medical Education

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The study of animal welfare and ethics (AWE) as part of veterinary education is important due to increasing community concerns and expectations about this topic, global pressures regarding food security, and the requirements of veterinary accreditation, especially with respect to Day One Competences. To address several key questions regarding the attitudes to AWE of veterinary students in Australia and New Zealand (NZ), the authors surveyed the 2014 cohort of these students. The survey aimed (1) to reveal what AWE topics veterinary students in Australia and NZ consider important as Day One Competences, and (2) to ascertain how these priorities align with existing research on how concern for AWE relates to gender and stage of study. Students identified triage and professional ethics as the most important Day One Competences in AWE. Students ranked an understanding of triage as increasingly important as they progressed through their program. Professional ethics was rated more important by early and mid-stage students than by senior students. Understanding the development of animal welfare science and perspectives on animal welfare were rated as being of little importance to veterinary graduates as Day One Competences, and an understanding of ''why animal welfare matters'' declined as the students progressed through the program. Combined, these findings suggest that veterinary students consider it more important to have the necessary practical skills and knowledge to function as a veterinarian on their first day in practice.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…Research on the effect of animal welfare teaching on veterinary student attitudes also indicates that these are, to some extent, malleable. 21 However, further work is necessary to develop effective AWE veterinary teaching programs to ensure development of Day One Competences.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Importance of Animal Welfare Science and Ethics to Veterinary Students in Australia and New Zealand

Freire¹,

Phillips

Verrinder

et al. 2017

Journal of Veterinary Medical Education

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“…To address this gap, the present article reports two studies using a newly devised Animal Purpose Questionnaire (APQ) to systematically compare attitudes to animal use across different purposes of use. We also compared attitudes to the (hypothetical) use of a diverse range of species, including exemplars of those falling into the categories of pet, pest and profit [32,33] as well as some non-domesticated species. The specific animal species included were mice, rats, rabbits, pigs, monkeys, octopus, chickens, badgers, zebrafish and tree shrews (survey 1) and carp, chicken, chimpanzee, dog, dolphin, frog, parrot, pig, pigeon, rabbit, rat and snake (survey 2).…”

Section: The Present Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Some animals are more equal than others: Validation of a new scale to measure how attitudes to animals depend on species and human purpose of use

et al. 2020

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Globally, many millions of animals are used by humans every year and much of this usage causes public concern. A new scale, devised to measure attitudes to animal use in relation to the purpose of use and species, the Animal Purpose Questionnaire (APQ), was completed by in total 483 participants, 415 British nationals and 68 participants from 39 other countries. The APQ was presented in two survey formats, alongside an established Animal Attitudes Scale (AAS). In both surveys, participants also provided demographic details to provide a context to their attitudes to animals. As might be expected, and consistent with the validity of the new scale, overall scores on the AAS and APQ were highly correlated. However, the APQ provided a more differentiated measure of attitudes to animal use across a variety of settings. The results showed that there was overall higher levels of agreement with the use of animals in medical research and basic science, less endorsement for food production and pest control, and the use of animals for other cultural practices was generally disapproved of, irrespective of species. Participants overall disagreed with the use of rabbits, monkeys, badgers, tree shrews (survey 1), chimpanzees, dogs, dolphins and parrots (survey 2), but were neutral about the use of rats, mice, pigs, octopus, chickens, zebrafish (survey 1), carp, chickens, pigs, pigeons, rabbits and rats (survey 2). Interactions between species and purpose were largely driven by the consideration of using diverse species for food production. In general, females and vegetarians expressed less agreement with the use of animals with some differences by purpose of use. Pet keeping consistently predicted reduced willingness to use animals for basic science (only). The APQ provides a new tool to unpack how public attitudes depend on the intersectionality of demographics, species and purpose of use.

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“…Similarly, sensitivity to the role of the human–animal bond has been found to decrease as students progressed in their studies [61]. Despite the worrying implications of such findings, interventions such as an animal welfare and ethics course [62], and workplace learning [63] have been found to improve the level of concern and empathy for animals shown by students.…”

Section: Veterinarians’ and Veterinary Students’ Level Of Concern mentioning

confidence: 99%

What We Know about the Public’s Level of Concern for Farm Animal Welfare in Food Production in Developed Countries

Cornish

Raubenheimer

McGreevy

2016

Animals

171

137

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Simple Summary The production of food from animals poses many ethical challenges. This review explores what we know about different levels of concern for animal welfare in food production by such stakeholders as veterinarians, farmers, and the general public. Despite the general public’s level of concern for animal welfare in food production being high, their understanding and knowledge is poor. Thus, it is suggested that through widespread consciousness raising we can encourage the public to accurately translate their concerns into market drivers, in turn improving the welfare of billions of animals.Abstract Population growth and rising consumption of meat, dairy, eggs and fish are forcing the world to face the intersecting challenges of how to sustainably feed a population expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050, while also controlling the impact of food production on the planet, on people and on animals. This review acknowledges the absence of a globally accepted definition of animal welfare and then explores the literature regarding different levels of concern for animal welfare in food production by such stakeholders as veterinarians, farmers, and the general public. It focuses on the evidence that the general public’s level of concern for animal welfare is linked to various demographic and personal characteristics, such as age, gender, religion, location, meat eating, and knowledge of animal welfare. Certain animals have characteristics that influence concern for their welfare, with those species that are considered more intelligent being afforded more concern. There is compelling evidence that the general public’s understanding of animal welfare in food production is poor. Acknowledging that public concern can be a driving force to change current production methods, the authors suggest widespread consciousness raising to redefine socially acceptable methods of food production from animals and to ensure that it remains in step with societal concerns.

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Can Teaching Veterinary and Animal-Science Students about Animal Welfare Affect Their Attitude toward Animals and Human-Related Empathy?

Cited by 83 publications

References 20 publications

The Importance of Animal Welfare Science and Ethics to Veterinary Students in Australia and New Zealand

The Importance of Animal Welfare Science and Ethics to Veterinary Students in Australia and New Zealand

Some animals are more equal than others: Validation of a new scale to measure how attitudes to animals depend on species and human purpose of use

What We Know about the Public’s Level of Concern for Farm Animal Welfare in Food Production in Developed Countries

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