Referendum on animal rights: the French are very much in favor

August 20, 1893. At the initiative of the people, the Swiss are called to the polls: 60% of the voters vote for the prohibition of the slaughter of cattle not previously stunned. It is the first popular initiative initiated in a modern democracy and animal protection is its main theme. One hundred and twenty-seven years later, the French seem ready to take the plunge in their turn. According to an Ifop study (carried out for the information site for dogs Caniprof by self-administered online questionnaire from July 15 to 16, 2020 with a sample of 1007 French people aged 18 and over) that we reveal to you, 73% of the population supports the organization of a referendum on animal rights.

This “shared initiative referendum” (RIP) project was launched in early July by several major French business leaders, including Xavier Niel and Jacques-Antoine Granjon, co-founder and CEO of the e-commerce site Veepee (formerly Vente -privee.com). Encouraged by France 2 journalist Hugo Clément, this call has since received the support of 23 associations such as L214, the SPA (Society for the protection of animals), the League for the protection of birds (LPO) and around fifty personalities such as Nicolas Hulot, Juliette Binoche, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Pascal Obispo or Bruno Solo.

Proof that the French are more and more sensitive to this cause and to the well-being of animals, 73% are in favor of banning the breeding of animals in cages. The videos of the L214 association denouncing the conditions of breeding rabbits, hens and other birds crammed into cramped cages have visibly left traces: 87% of those polled would welcome the obligation to guarantee animals the possibility daily access to the outdoors.

Petitions for animal-free circuses and against dolphins and killer whales kept in captivity in water parks have also apparently borne fruit: 57% of those questioned said they were in favor of closing shows with wild animals.

More concerning than the pension reform

"The investigative work of associations and the media in industrial farms and slaughterhouses has greatly contributed to changing the way the population views animals," said Hugo Clément, who now hopes to see this referendum project succeed. "For the National Assembly to put it on the agenda, we need the support of 185 parliamentarians and 4.7 million signatures" recalls the deputy LREM (Alpes-Maritimes) Loïc Dombreval, author of a report noted on animal cruelty. According to the IFOP study, seven out of ten voters (71%) are now willing to sign the petition necessary for the validation of the shared initiative referendum (RIP) procedure.

And if a poll were organized, almost one in two French people (49%) said they would vote. It is better than if a vote was organized on the pension reform (48%), the wealth tax (46%) or the privatization of Aéroports de Paris (35%).

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VIDEO. Hell of over-medicated rabbits crammed into cages

"Animal welfare is a subject that speaks more easily to people than other themes, especially as one in two French people own a pet," underlines Paul Cébille, senior researcher at the political and news center. of Ifop. As for the problem of animal cruelty, the French cannot ignore the shocking images that have circulated. 67% say they are in favor of banning hunting with hounds and digging up foxes and badgers.

"The defenders of the most cruel practices, such as hunting with hounds, breeding in cages or digging up, often say that the animal cause is a battle of Parisian bobo, notes Hugo Clément. But we can clearly see with this survey that this is false, people living in rural areas also being overwhelmingly in favor of strong measures for animal welfare ”.