Do Animal Welfare Laws Reduce Animal Product Consumption?

Abstract

The topic of tactics raises a point of contention among animal rights proponents. Those who support animal welfare laws and regulations tend to claim that such measures are necessary to move society closer to abolishing animal use altogether. Those who do not support such measures claim that animal welfare does not equate to animal rights and should not be supported by animal rights advocates. Findings from this research are revealed through a cross-examination of ten years of consumer expenditure data drawn from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics and state-level animal law rankings in the U.S. provided by the Animal Legal Defense Fund. An analysis of variance determined that the relationship between animal welfare laws and consumer expenditure on animal-based products is statistically insignificant and therefore negligible. However, the most prestigious corporate animal rights charities in the U.S. continue to make animal welfare reforms their primary focus when it comes to direct action and as a means to solicit donations from the public.