Animal Welfare Science Communication: Reaching the Public

Effective communication of animal welfare science is essential for translating research findings into public understanding and behaviour change.

Key Facts

Animal welfare research is often published in academic journals inaccessible to lay audiences
Emotional appeals in welfare messaging can backfire by triggering disengagement or defensiveness
Framing welfare as aligned with productivity often reaches farming audiences more effectively
Social norms messaging — describing what others do — can shift behaviour more than information alone
Trusted messengers including vets and farmers are often more persuasive than scientists or campaigners

Welfare Considerations

The gap between what animal welfare science knows and what the public understands is wide and consequential. Welfare improvements require public demand, policy pressure, and industry willingness to change — all of which depend on informed understanding. Yet welfare science is communicated poorly: academic papers, campaign imagery that triggers defensiveness, and messaging that fails to connect with lived experience all limit reach. Evidence-based science communication applies what is known about behaviour change — using trusted messengers, social norms, narrative, and emotionally appropriate framing — to translate research into understanding and action. Investing in welfare science communication as a distinct professional field would accelerate the translation of research into real-world impact.

What You Can Do

Share well-evidenced animal welfare content from credible sources in your networks
Support organisations working at the interface of welfare science and public communication
Engage with welfare science in ways appropriate to different audiences when discussing food choices
Advocate for science communication training in animal welfare research programmes
Seek out primary sources and welfare science summaries rather than relying on campaign messaging