Factors Associated with Children’s Humane Attitudes toward Animals

Abstract

Abstract Various studies have suggested a range of different factors associated with children’s attitudes toward animals; however, in Chile, it is an area that has not been studied. The current study administered the Intermediate Attitude Scale (IAS, which measures attitudes toward the humane treatment of animals) to 286 children in third and fourth grade and analyzed its association with the following variables: type of school, grade, gender, current pet ownership, the recognition accuracy of dog facial expressions, and human-directed empathy. The association between the IAS and potential factors was measured through linear mixed models. Children with higher human-directed empathy scores, fourth-grade children, and children who were more accurate in recognizing the happiness emotion on the dog’s face were associated with more positive attitudes toward the humane treatment of animals. These findings contribute to the growing literature regarding the importance of positive attitudes toward animals and their connection to human-directed empathy.