Animal attitudes and speciesism in relation to the abuse of farm animals (P006)

• In Event: Poster session

Abstract

The study of psycho-environmental variables that relates to people’s reactions against animal abuse involves analyzing their attitudes towards animals and their beliefs about the superiority of the human species. Spanish criminal code labels animal abuse as an environmental crime, differentiating among protected fauna, domestic animals and farm animals. The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between people’s perception and reaction against the abuse of farm animals, and their attitudes to animals and their level of speciesism. 255 participants of both gender, between 13 and 73 years old, answered an online questionnaire including Spanish adaptations of the Animal Attitude Scale (AAS) (Herzog et al., 1991) and the Speciesism Scale (SS)(Caviola et al., 2019). They were asked to rate ten scenarios, based on press releases, describing the abuse of farm animals. They answered using eight Likert-type scales: frequency, severity, justification, intentionality, indignation, punishment, personal intervention and calling the police. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted to test the structure of the AAS and SS. In the case of the AAS, the results indicate that the 20 items are grouped into three factors, while four of the six items of the SS are grouped into a single factor. Two of the items of SS had to be eliminated because of its improper functioning. Factors reliabilities using Omega were above 0.70 for two of the three factor of the AAS and for the SS. The variables resulting of averaging the items included in these factors were correlated with the variables resulting of averaging the participants’ perception and reactions to the scenarios of animal abuse. Correlation values were .30 or lower. These results highlight the need to explore, besides attitudes, the role of other psychological constructs in explaining people’s perception and reactions to the abuse of farm animals.

Authors

• Bernardo Hernández, Universidad de La LAGUNA

• Cristina Ruiz, Universidad de La Laguna

• Andrea Vera, Universidad de La Laguna

• Ana M. Martín, Universidad de La Laguna