Animal welfare science is a rapidly evolving field with significant unresolved questions. Understanding the frontier research priorities helps advocates direct attention and resources toward the most impactful knowledge gaps.
Animal welfare science stands at an exciting frontier where multiple disciplines converge to transform our understanding of animal experience and our capacity to improve it. The questions that remain open - how widespread is conscious experience in the animal kingdom, what constitutes a good life for diverse species, how can welfare be measured and compared at scale - are among the most important in applied ethics. Progress in these areas translates directly to improved wellbeing for billions of individual animals. Supporting animal welfare research, advocating for research funding, and applying emerging knowledge to practice are among the most impactful contributions anyone can make to animal welfare.