How kind are we this year?
The 2024 Animal Kindness Index continues to provide us with encouragement that the values and attitudes to be kinder to animals are strong, and this is reflected across all generations. A world that is better for animals is better for us all. Working together, everyone for every animal, to celebrate the bond we share will hopefully inspire even more people to take action.
We’re a nation of animal lovers. This is reflected in the high expectations we have of our own accountability towards ensuring animal welfare, as well as those of other role models such as governments and animal charities.
While our intentions towards animals are kind as a nation, there can sometimes be some miscommunication in how we show this, which we also noted in 2022 and 2023. The cost of living remains high and continues to put pressure on household budgets, affecting people’s actions towards animals and their welfare needs, as pet owners and consumers. We have a genuine concern for wildlife, too, and want to see it thriving and protected, however our actions again fall short of what we need to do to achieve this bigger picture. A lack of understanding around how to be kind to animals and help them where we can, particularly within younger age groups, indicates a greater need for education and awareness.
Past reports
About the research
The report from the RSPCA, Scottish SPCA and Ulster SPCA surveyed more than 7,000 people to understand how the UK population thinks, feels and acts towards animals.