Most say an animal enjoying an activity means it consents
Core finding
When an animal appears to enjoy an activity with humans, a majority of Americans (63%) treat that as permission to involve it, including 12% who strongly agree, a May 2026 Verasight survey finds.
About one-in-five (21%) are neutral, while 16% disagree, including 4% who strongly disagree.
Topline scale
Most say an animal enjoying an activity means it consents.
Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statement: If an animal seems to enjoy an activity with humans, that means the humans have its permission to involve it in that activity.
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 seems to enjoy an activity with humans, that means the humans have its permission to involve it in that activity.
Cite this question
Verasight SPSP Omnibus Survey #2026-045, fielded May 11-11, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.3%.