{"id":586,"date":"2025-08-11T18:51:39","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T18:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/animalhumanpolicy\/?p=586"},"modified":"2025-09-23T15:07:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T15:07:28","slug":"public-perspectives-and-effective-messaging-on-fur-farming-in-the-northeastern-united-states","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/animalhumanpolicy\/public-perspectives-and-effective-messaging-on-fur-farming-in-the-northeastern-united-states\/","title":{"rendered":"New Research Shows Strong Public Support for State Fur Bans in the Northeast"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Animal-Human Policy Center conducted research on public attitudes toward banning the sale of fur in four Northeastern states\u2014Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. Our findings reveal a clear trend: a majority of residents support legislation to end the sale of new clothing and other products made with fur from animals raised on commercial fur farms, most commonly <strong>mink and fox<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When survey results were weighted to reflect state demographics, <strong>59\u201361% of respondents supported fur bans even without any background information.<\/strong> After learning more about the animal welfare, environmental, and public health impacts of fur farming\u2014as well as the growing public concern over fur\u2014<strong>support rose to over 64%<\/strong> across the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why It Matters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fur farming poses serious risks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Animal welfare:<\/strong> Mink and fox are kept in cramped, barren wire-mesh cages for their entire lives, deprived of enrichment and natural behaviors, then killed using inhumane methods such as electrocution to preserve their pelts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Environmental harm:<\/strong> Fur farms contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, spread invasive species, pollute waterways, and use toxic chemicals in processing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Public health concerns:<\/strong> Crowded confinement increases the risk of zoonotic diseases, with at least 18 documented pathogens linked to fur farms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Works in Changing Minds<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our study tested six different types of messages about fur farming. The most effective\u2014particularly among politically independent voters\u2014focused on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The cruelty of fur farming<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Its environmental and public health consequences<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The growing social consensus against fur<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Messages about international economics and faux fur alternatives were far less persuasive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">State Snapshots<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Support for banning the sale of fur from farmed animals was consistent across the four states surveyed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Massachusetts:<\/strong> 66% support (weighted)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Connecticut:<\/strong> 65% support (weighted)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>New York:<\/strong> 64% support (weighted)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>New Jersey:<\/strong> 64% support (weighted)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Moving Forward<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our research highlights a receptive public environment for fur ban legislation in the Northeast. Advocates can build momentum by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Targeting independent voters who are most responsive to messages<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prioritizing animal welfare, environmental, and public health framing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Correcting misconceptions that fur farms are already well-regulated<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Conclusion: Northeastern residents care deeply about ending the cruelty and risks of fur farming\u2014especially for mink and fox\u2014and with effective messaging, support for legislative action can grow even stronger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>For more information, contact:<\/strong><br>Dr. Rebecca Niemiec \u2013 <em><a href=\"mailto:rebecca.niemiec@colostate.edu\">rebecca.niemiec@colostate.edu<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Documents available here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Full Report on Public Perspectives Towards Fur Farms<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1KYuLF4w8m-1S2csZ6TziFQCinQuP0Woe\/view?usp=drive_link\">https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1KYuLF4w8m-1S2csZ6TziFQCinQuP0Woe\/view?usp=drive_link<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Communications Guide on Fur Farming: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1NQFH5OAS8WfOuQvNUiUNO1hvXATI_o7T\/view?usp=sharing\">https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1NQFH5OAS8WfOuQvNUiUNO1hvXATI_o7T\/view?usp=sharing<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>State of Massachusetts Policy Brief on Fur Farming: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1_cSTFoJloOBKnpGZBPk8uZn6CGo_JsJQ\/view?usp=sharing\">https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1_cSTFoJloOBKnpGZBPk8uZn6CGo_JsJQ\/view?usp=sharing<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>State of New Jersey Policy Brief on Fur Farming<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1CoD0art6A2xCw-5PaEyW0-2F4lpalqLx\/view?usp=sharing\">https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1CoD0art6A2xCw-5PaEyW0-2F4lpalqLx\/view?usp=sharing<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>State of New York Policy Brief on Fur Farming: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/10OHlmN1LHk6eMK0uOsCGlyVf_SXFVTT7\/view?usp=sharing\">https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/10OHlmN1LHk6eMK0uOsCGlyVf_SXFVTT7\/view?usp=sharing<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>State of Connecticut Policy Brief Fur Farming: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1WZftBdKpaGchbyEpej3GGaq9A0V9asFI\/view?usp=sharing\">https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1WZftBdKpaGchbyEpej3GGaq9A0V9asFI\/view?usp=sharing<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Animal-Human Policy Center conducted research on public attitudes toward banning the sale of fur in four Northeastern states\u2014Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. Our findings reveal a clear trend: a majority of residents support legislation to end the sale of new clothing and other products made with fur from animals raised on commercial&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":174,"featured_media":443,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[18,16],"class_list":["post-586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research-projects","tag-farmed-animal-welfare","tag-national-public-survey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/animalhumanpolicy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/animalhumanpolicy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/animalhumanpolicy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/animalhumanpolicy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/174"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/animalhumanpolicy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=586"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/animalhumanpolicy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":750,"href":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/animalhumanpolicy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586\/revisions\/750"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/animalhumanpolicy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/animalhumanpolicy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/animalhumanpolicy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu\/animalhumanpolicy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}