1st Edition
Animal and Vegan Advocacy The Psychological Science and Practice of Attitude, Behavior, and Social Change
1. Animal and vegan advocacy: An introduction
Kristof Dhont, Robbie Sutton, & Maria Ioannidou
Section I
Why We Care About Animals (and Why We Don’t)
2. Advocating for other animals on the basis of their sentience
Stefan Leach & Robbie Sutton
3. From carnivore to conscientious: Shifting diets by strengthening consumers’ association of animal products with living beings
Jonas R. Kunst & Nora C.G. Benningstad
4. Beyond the meat paradox: Selective compassion in dairy, egg, and fish consumption—and how to address it
Kristof Dhont & Maria Ioannidou
5. Who is more or less likely to consume animals?
Christopher J. Hopwood, Nicholas Poh-Jie Tan, Maxim Trenkenschuh, & Andrea Polanco
6. Human-pet relations: Implications for well-being and welfare, and connections to animal advocacy
Catherine Amiot & Brock Bastian
7. Engaging children and adolescents for the future of animal advocacy
Luke McGuire & Courtney Dillard
Section II
From Concern to Change
8. Promoting plant-based eating in organizational settings
João Graça & John Hoeks
9. How animal advocacy can be improved by persuasive narratives and messages
Robert C. Udale, Natalie Braine, & Helen Maitland
10. The role of disruptive protests in the animal advocacy movement
Cathy Rogers, Markus Ostarek, James Özden, & Sam Nadel
11. Animals as outlier: Implications of animals’ legal status as property
Maneesha Deckha & Renee Rogers
12. Assessment and treatment for individuals who abuse animals
Sarah M. Kelleher & Emma Alleyne
13. Wild animal suffering advocacy
Oscar Horta
Biography
Kristof Dhont, PhD, is Reader in Psychology at the University of Kent, UK, and founding President of the PHAIR Society. His research focuses on speciesism, prejudice, and the psychology of eating animals and veganism.
Robbie Sutton, PhD, is Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Kent, UK. His research examines justice and rationality, including sexism, feminism, conspiracy theories, and the moral status of animals.
Maria Ioannidou, PhD, is a researcher at the University of Kent, UK and serves on the Board of Directors of the PHAIR Society. Her work focuses on the psychology of animal product consumption, speciesism, and moral concern.
Persuading people to change what they eat is far harder than I imagined when I wrote Animal Liberation more than 50 years ago. Today, it's obvious that if most people were to shift to a plant-based diet, that would dramatically reduce the suffering of more than 100 billion vertebrate animals each year, and give us a better chance of avoiding climate catastrophe. Yet only a small fraction of the global population has ceased to eat meat, even in countries where consumers have a wide range of healthy alternatives. That is why the scientific study of the effectiveness of different forms of animal and vegan advocacy is so important. This book is a pioneering volume in that important new field.
Peter Singer, PhD, Professor of Bioethics, Princeton University, Emeritus; Visiting Professor of Medical Ethics, National University of Singapore
Animal and Vegan Advocacy is a must-read for anyone who wants to effectively reduce harm to nonhuman animals. With both academic rigor and accessible language, the book provides critical insights along with practical strategies for change.
Melanie Joy, PhD, author of Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows
A vegan lifestyle and ethic go far beyond forks, knives, spoons, plates, and mouths. They are a way of life that shapes how we choose to live in the world while respecting the lives of other animals who fall prey to our speciesist mindsets and values that write them off as disposable objects. Drawing on cutting-edge scientific insights, the excellent chapters in Animal and Vegan Advocacy clearly show that it’s time to “walk the talk”—and how to do so—and treat other animals with the compassion, respect, empathy, and dignity they deserve. When we do this, it’s a win–win for all—for them and for us.
Marc Bekoff, PhD, University of Colorado, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy―and Why They Matter
This is the book the animal advocacy movement has needed for years: a serious, evidence-based examination of how change actually happens, from individual psychology to institutional norms and legal frameworks. Required reading for advocates, funders, and anyone trying to understand why moral concern so rarely translates into sustained action.
Matthew Glover, Co-founder, Veganuary & Project Slingshot
At a time when the scale of animal suffering remains immense and meaningful change is difficult to achieve, this groundbreaking book, Animal and Vegan Advocacy, reviews the latest scientific research and effectively translates complex findings into clear and practical insights, making it accessible well beyond academia. It is an essential resource for anyone seeking to accelerate the transition toward a more plant-based and compassionate world.
Tobias Leenaert, Co-founder, ProVeg International, author of How to Create a Vegan World
A compelling and much-needed synthesis of research and advocacy in practice, Animal and Vegan Advocacy bridges psychological science and real-world strategy to provide a powerful roadmap for accelerating meaningful, lasting change for animals. Essential reading for anyone working to advance animal protection.
Brooke Haggerty, Executive Director, Faunalytics
People care about animals, yet most contribute to their suffering—a complex issue as fascinating as it is urgent. This volume addresses a critical gap; effective animal advocacy requires understanding the psychology of attitude and behavior change. Evidence-based work like this is exactly what is needed to help more animals.
Stien van der Ploeg, Executive Director, Animal Charity Evaluators
A timely and accessible volume that brings together psychological science and advocacy practice to advance positive change for animals. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in understanding how psychology can help promote a more just world for animals.
Chris G. Sibley, PhD, Professor of Psychology, University of Auckland
The past two decades have seen an eruption of research on the psychology of our relationship with other animals. Animal and Vegan Advocacy powerfully synthesizes what we have learned so far while, crucially, showing how these insights can be applied in practical ways to improve animals’ lives. It not only demonstrates how advocacy can be better informed by science, but also how science itself can be enriched by the real-world challenges of advocacy.
Jared Piazza, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Lancaster University
Animal and vegan advocacy can be one of the most impactful ways to help our planet and its inhabitants, but only when conducted effectively. Based on thorough research, this book reveals the strategies most likely to work. It is a profoundly important book for all who care about animals and our planet.
Andrew Knight, PhD, Veterinary Professor of Animal Welfare; Adjunct Professor at Murdoch University and Griffith University
Animal and Vegan Advocacy brings together vital insights from an impressive range of experts to inform our understanding of why society treats animals as it does, and crucially, what we can do to change this.
Christopher Bryant, PhD, Executive Director, Bryant Research
