Bir Courtney, Widmar Nicole J Olynk, Croney Candace C
Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
Animals (Basel). 2017 Aug 5;7(8):59. doi: 10.3390/ani7080059.
People's preferences for where they acquire dogs and the characteristics they focus on may provide insight into their perceptions of socially responsible pet ownership, as acquiring a dog is the first step in dog ownership. An online survey of 1523 U.S. residents was used to aid understanding of public perceptions of dog acquisition. Likert-scale questions allowed respondents to assign a level of agreement, within the given scale, to ten statements related to dog acquisition. A significantly higher percentage of women (39.6%) than men (31.7%) agreed that the only responsible way to acquire a dog is through a shelter/rescue. More women (71.3%) than men (66.4%), as well as those with a higher household income (71%), identified source as important. Best-worst methodology was used to elicit perceptions regarding the most/least ethical ways to acquire a dog. Three subgroups were identified, one of which had an overwhelmingly large preference share (96%) for adoption. The second group had more evenly distributed preference shares amongst the various dog acquisition methods, while the third indicated a preference for "homeless" pets. Additional investigation of the values/beliefs underlying the preferences of these groups is necessary to design appropriately tailored companion animal-focused communication strategies for these different groups.
人们对获取狗狗的地点偏好以及他们关注的狗狗特征，可能有助于洞察他们对负责任养宠的认知，因为获取狗狗是养宠的第一步。一项针对1523名美国居民的在线调查，旨在帮助了解公众对获取狗狗的看法。李克特量表问题让受访者在给定量表范围内，对与获取狗狗相关的十条陈述表示同意程度。同意获取狗狗的唯一负责任方式是通过收容所/救助机构的女性比例（39.6%）显著高于男性（31.7%）。认为来源重要的女性（71.3%）多于男性（66.4%），家庭收入较高的人群（71%）也是如此。采用最佳-最差方法来引出关于获取狗狗最/最不道德方式的看法。确定了三个亚组，其中一个亚组对领养有着压倒性的高偏好份额（96%）。第二组在各种获取狗狗的方法中偏好份额分布更为均匀，而第三组表示偏好“无家可归”的宠物。有必要对这些群体偏好背后的价值观/信念进行进一步调查，以便为这些不同群体设计出针对性更强的以伴侣动物为重点的沟通策略。
