Changing Attitudes and Behaviours
Human relationships with non‑human animals are often marked by a disconnect between animal-loving values and everyday practices. While many people express concern for animals, industrialised farming, meat consumption and persistently low welfare standards remain commonplace.
This research priority examines how people perceive, value and relate to non‑human animals across different contexts. Our researchers aim to support more informed and ethical decision-making, aiming to bring real‑world practices into closer alignment with widely held concerns for animals.
Our current work focuses on the future of food - specifically cultivated (lab-grown) meat - assessing the emerging alternative proteins landscape and how it is perceived by the public. This work draws on expertise from the psychological and behavioural sciences.
An additional forthcoming project will look at integrating animal welfare into economic modelling.
Broader contributions include a short LSE blog on non‑stun animal slaughter and Professor Jonathan Birch’s ongoing work with the Animals in Science Committee.
Further information
Principal Investigator: Professor Jonathan Birch
Research Officer: Dr Feiyang Wang
Research Mentor: Dr Frederic Basso
Research Assistant ("Pre-Doc"): Kristina Kiminiute
Occasional Research Assistant: Isabella Logothetis
Enquiries can be directed to individual researchers, or the shared mailbox: philosophy.sentience@lse.ac.uk
- LSE Festival Public Lecture: "Food Futures".
- Poster presentation at CARMA Conference 2026: "Animal-sentience messages outperform health-safety messages in promoting cultivated meat to UK pet owners".