Public Opinion

April 9, 2011 • Posted in

In August 2005, the New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS), coordinator of Project R&R, retained the services of a Washington, D.C.-based consumer and market research company to poll the American public regarding attitudes toward chimpanzees and their use in research. Project R&R sought to know the hearts and minds of the very public who will help decide the fate of chimpanzees currently in labs.


Dana Chimpanzee
Captured as an infant in Africa,
Dana Chimpanzee spent nearly
40 years in a laboratory
Photo: © Save the Chimps

 

Among the results that are of paramount importance to accomplishing the mission of Project R&R is the finding that:

• 71 percent of those who responded think that chimpanzees used in research for more than 10 years should be retired

• Nearly twice as many Americans support a ban on chimpanzee research as do those who oppose such a ban

A response of 71 percent is an overwhelming winning vote of support by anyone’s count. The American people are acknowledging that chimpanzees who have languished in labs for not just 10 years, but 20 or 30 or 40 years deserve better from our government and its scientific administrative agencies. The public has come down firmly on the side of hundreds of chimpanzees who have been unwilling recruits into science for decades.

Project R&R will provide other crucial information from this comprehensive survey in the months ahead.

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* In total, 1,678 U.S. adults age 18 and over completed the survey with valid responses—resulting in a margin of error of about +/- 2.4 percent at a 95 percent confidence level. The survey was conducted online with controlled distribution to ensure representation of U.S. adults. Given the sophistication of the data collection and balanced distribution, the results included in the final report can be considered representative of the U.S. adult population.

Tags: ethics, public opinion,

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