Americans overwhelmingly say a wild animal moving away means no consent
Core finding
Most U.S. adults (86%) agree that a wild animal moving away when a person tries to handle it means the animal does not consent, including 42% who strongly agree, according to a May 2026 Verasight survey of 488 U.S. adults.
Only 4% disagree, and another 10% neither agree nor disagree.
Topline scale
Americans overwhelmingly say a wild animal moving away means no consent.
Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statement: If a wild animal moves away when a human attempts to handle it, that means the animal does not consent to being handled.
n = 488 · May 11, 2026 · MoE ±4.7%
Methodology
Full methodology →| Mode | Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting |
|---|---|
| Population | US adults age 18+ |
| Field dates | May 11, 2026 |
| Base (unweighted) | 488 |
| Margin of error | ±4.7% |
| Module | daily_life |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- reports.verasight.io/r/spsp26
Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statement: If a wild animal moves away when a human attempts to handle it, that means the animal does not consent to being handled.
Cite this question
Verasight SPSP Omnibus Survey #2026-045, fielded May 11-11, 2026, N=488 US adults age 18+, +/- 4.7%.