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Opinion Polls Regarding the Use of Chimpanzees in Research |
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A 2006 survey of 1,678 U.S. adults by the Humane Research Council and commissioned by Project R&R found the following:
- 71 percent of the American public believes that a chimpanzee used for more than 10 years in research should be retired.
- 67 percent of those polled believe that chimpanzees who are ill or weakened from experiments should be retired.
- A full 80 percent of the population supports the use of alternatives to chimpanzees at least some of the time, with half of those supporting the use of alternatives “always.”
- Half of all Americans would support the government’s use of taxpayer money to fund development of alternatives to chimpanzee testing.
- 74 percent of respondents would support permanent retirement to sanctuaries for chimpanzees no longer used in experiments.
- More than twice as many Americans do not believe that chimpanzees younger than seven years old should be used in experiments as those who support their use.
A 2001 Zogby International poll conducted for the Doris Day Animal League found the following:
- 89 percent of respondents said it is "inappropriate for chimpanzees to be kept caged alone for decades in cages measuring 5' x 5' x 7'." (This is the typical cage size for a chimpanzee who is undergoing a research protocol.)
- 79 percent of respondents believed the government should pay for "permanent retirement to a sanctuary" for chimpanzees who are no longer used for experimentation
- 55 percent of respondents would support a "law that would prohibit the use of chimpanzees in painful biomedical research and product testing"
- 54 percent of respondents found it unacceptable for chimpanzees to "Undergo research which causes them to suffer for human benefit"; while 65 percent say it is unacceptable to kill them for research
A U.S. public opinion survey conducted every few years between 1985 and 2001 by the National Science Board found the following:
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Survey Statement: Scientists should be allowed to do research that causes pain and injury to animals like dogs and chimpanzees if it produces new information. |
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Year |
Supporting plus strongly supporting |
Opposing plus strongly opposing |
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1985 |
63 |
30 |
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1988 |
53 |
42 |
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1990 |
50 |
44 |
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1992 |
53 |
42 |
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1995 |
50 |
46 |
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1997 |
46 |
51 |
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1999 |
50 |
47 |
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2001 |
44 |
52 |
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Number of adults surveyed varied per year and ranged from 904 to 2,041 |
The chart below shows the change in opposition and support of the statement over the 16-year period.
Updated Aug. 26, 2008
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