Stop Circus Suffering

MORI Poll shows overwhelming support for ban on animal circuses

A MORI Opinion Poll commissioned by ADI this autumn on public attitudes towards animal circuses reveals:

80% say ban all wild animal circus acts.
65% say ban all animal circus acts.
90% against whipping and beating when training circus animals.
Only 7% strongly opposed the calls for bans.

The poll also revealed that more than twice as many people now visit animal-free circuses as opposed to those with animals. In the last five years, those attending animal-free circuses has risen from 6% to 16%. Animal circuses remain slumped at 7% attendance. The most popular forms of animal entertainment attended are aquariums (50% of respondents), zoos (39%), safari parks (22%), showing that people see circuses as an area where specific action is urgently required by the Government – even if they do not oppose the broader issue of animals in captivity.

The findings are in line with our previous polls. In 2004 an NOP opinion poll commissioned by ADI revealed that 63% of the public wanted to see all animal acts banned from circuses – only 8% disagreed. In 1999, a MORI poll commissioned by ADI revealed 72% wanted wild animals banned.

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