Eight-in-ten Americans say animal avoidance should count as "no"
Core finding
In a Verasight survey of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted May 11, 2026, 82% of Americans agreed that if an animal tries to avoid something a human wants it to do, the human should treat that avoidance as the animal saying "no." This includes 30% who strongly agree, 34% who agree, and 19% who somewhat agree.
Few Americans disagreed (5%), with 2% who somewhat disagree, 2% who disagree, and 1% who strongly disagree. Another 12% were neutral.
Topline scale
82% of Americans say an animal avoiding something should be treated as the animal saying "no."
Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statement: If an animal tries to avoid something a human wants it to do, the human should treat that as the animal saying "no."
n = 1,000 · May 11, 2026 · MoE ±3.3%
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) | 1,000 |
| Margin of error | ±3.3% |
| 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 an animal tries to avoid something a human wants it to do, the human should treat that as the animal saying "no."
Cite this question
Verasight SPSP Omnibus Survey #2026-045, fielded May 11-11, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.3%.