Who likes animals (for eating)?

There is a severe lack of measurement instruments for human-animal relationships in the German language. Therefore, two key questionnaires were translated from English and validated on a sample of 207 people in this study: the Belief in Animal Mind Scale (BAM) and the Animal Attitude Scale (AAS). While a single-factor structure was confirmed for the BAM, the AAS was divided into subscales. Apart from a low level of difficulty of the items, both scales show good test quality criteria. In line with previous literature, more animal-friendly values were found for female participants, animal welfare activists, vegetarians and vegans, people who had kept a pet in the past and currently keep one, and, in some cases, older and more agreeable people. In a simulated online check-in for a flight, people with higher AAS values were more likely to choose a vegan or vegetarian meal. A default selection for the in-flight menu had no significant influence on the participants' food choices.

Autorentext
Jana Villioth studied psychology at Heidelberg University, specialising in developmental and clinical psychology. During her master's degree, she spent a semester abroad at the University of Southampton (UK) to explore the topics of animal psychology and human-animal interaction at an academic level.