Campaign and Program Evaluation

How to Be a Better Animal Advocate

Carol L. Glasser — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:30:00 -0800

If you didn't receive our newsletter in your inbox today, here it is! If this is the first time you are seeing this, you may not be a registered user of HumaneSpot.org. If not, register today! Registration is free and comes with added perks, like access to the search feature in our research database and emails tailored to your personal preferences and interests. These useful emails provide updates of all the new research items and blog posts added to our database that address the specific topic(s) that you are interested in.

How Readable Are Your Animal Advocacy Materials?

Carol L. Glasser — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:00:00 -0800

The most exciting project this new year, is the release of our latest study examining how easy it is for the average person to read and understand animal advocacy literature. Specifically, HRC partnered with VegFund and FARM to evaluate the readability of the most widely distributed vegan outreach pamphlets.

Readability of Vegan Outreach Literature

HRC Admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:45:00 -0800

To evaluate the readability of such materials in a more robust and transparent manner, the Humane Research Council (HRC) partnered with VegFund and FARM to test a selection of outreach materials that are commonly used by vegan advocates. The average readability scores placed these materials in the range of the 11th grade reading level or higher, which is three to four grade levels higher than the average U.S. adult.

Her Last Days

HRC Admin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 08:45:00 -0800

It was her last three days. She woke up, alone in her room, and looked out onto the world. She had spent her days trying to sit up and look happy just in case someone looked through the window long enough to catch her eye. But they never did. She’d go to sleep, wake up, and do it again. It was now down to her last few days. Time was running out. After three more days, she would be dead.

Finding Lost Companion Animals: The Effectiveness of Tags and Microchips

Carol L. Glasser — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:45:00 -0800

Each year, 6-8 million dogs and cats enter shelters and 3-4 million of these animals are killed due primarily to a lack of space. These animals come from a variety of sources; they may be strays, relinquished by their human companions, or simply lost. Unfortunately, only 30% of dogs and 2-5% of cats entering shelters are claimed by their human companion. Returning more lost animals to their families can help reduce shelter populations and make many cats, dogs, and people very happy.

A Survey of the Methods Used in Shelter and Rescue Programs to Identify Feral and Frightened Pet Cats

Carol L. Glasser — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 07:45:00 -0800

Animal shelters often have different policies for feral cats and cats who are socialized. Researchers sought to determine how animal shelters decide whether cats are feral, socialized cats who are frightened, or semi-feral cats that had once lived with people and could do so again, but who had been living outside for a time. Most respondents were from the US, though there were also respondents from Canada, the UK, Puerto Rico, and Guam. In total, only 15% of these shelters had any written guidelines to follow.

What Do People Think of Animal Advocates?

Che Green — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:45:00 -0800

In 2004, HRC conducted a comprehensive research study for the National Council for Animal Protection (NCAP), a coalition of U.S. animal protection groups. The research involved multiple phases including a large survey supplemented by eight focus groups and fifteen individual interviews. The goals of the study were to understand public awareness and opinions of animal protection activities, including the perceived image, credibility, and effectiveness of the animal advocacy movement in the United States. Now, for the first time, the NCAP research is generally available (upon approval) to advocates and scholars.

Understanding Segmentation: How to More Effectively Target Your Message

Carol L. Glasser — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:02:57 -0700

Last week we posted the first article in a blog series by HRC board member Anthony Bellotti. This is a series of “ad autopsies” in which Anthony evaluates animal protection advertisements to gauge what is and is not effective. This series reminds us that all social movement campaigns are in large part marketing campaigns. In the animal protection movement, we are “selling” a message that the treatment of animals should be changed. When viewed as a marketing campaign, it becomes easier to envision ways that we can more effectively develop, target, and sell our message.

Stray Dog Survey 2011

Carol L. Glasser — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 08:45:00 -0700

This survey of dog wardens and others who manage stray dogs in the United Kingdom (UK) addresses both the number of stray dogs and what happens to them. This study finds that the number of stray dogs in the UK is at its peak and that up to 6% of all stray dogs, or about 20 dogs per day, are killed in UK shelters.

Ad Autopsy #1: Companion Animals - Spay and Neuter Research

Anthony Bellotti — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 10:45:00 -0700

Why do some advertisements work while other promising campaigns fail inexplicably? In this series of blog posts we will explore this question as we conduct a "post-mortem" analysis of print advertisements from the animal protection movement. Our investigation is driven from a research-based perspective in an attempt to answer what went right, or wrong, in various ad campaigns.