Our research
The Animal Welfare Evidence Centre researches human behaviours and systems that drive harm to animals, building the evidence needed to prevent it. Our research strategy and published research will help shape a better future for animal welfare.
Key research aims
The Centre’s research is guided by four pillars:
Understanding the causes of animal harm
Investigating the drivers and causes of animal harm, we will identify the psychological and socio-economic factors that lead to harmful human-animal interactions.
Finding what works to prevent animal harm
Moving beyond identifying problems, we will evaluate and develop evidence-based intervention strategies to prevent suffering before it occurs.
Deepening understanding of public awareness, attitudes, and cultural norms
We will research how societal beliefs and media narratives shape human-animal relationships and influence behaviour.
Applying a systemic approach
Putting animal welfare within a broader landscape, we will recognise how challenges facing animals, people, and the planet are interlinked with social goals like housing and health.
Proposed priority areas
We’re currently developing the Centre’s research strategy, to bridge critical knowledge gaps around the human behaviours and systems driving animal harm. We're inviting feedback on these from stakeholders in the animal welfare, academic, and public sectors through our consultation.
Our research will initially focus on six key areas:
- Socio-economic circumstances and animal harm: Establishing correlations between structural constraints, such as poverty and veterinary access, and neglect, to move beyond simplistic narratives toward targeted interventions.
- Domestic abuse and animal harm: Synthesising UK data on the co-occurrence of domestic abuse and animal harm, to provide a robust baseline for practitioners in law enforcement and social care.
- Demographics, geography and ‘who’ harms animals: Conducting secondary analysis of regional and demographic data, to understand how attitudes vary across the UK, ensuring prevention efforts are precisely targeted.
- What works to prevent animal harm: Evaluating existing interventions, through economic analysis and systematic reviews, to build a ‘what works’ function and support robust investment cases.
- Public attitudes, cognitive dissonance and the ‘nation of animal lovers’: Investigating the gap between people’s behaviours and attitudes towards animals,, to identify cultural levers that can shift societal norms.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) and animal welfare: Mapping the implications of AI in animal agriculture and its emerging role as a source of pet-owner advice, to position the Centre at the forefront of evidence-led regulatory debates.
