Gallup – In US More Say Animals Should Have Same Rights as People – May 18, 2015. – “Almost a third of Americans, 32%, believe animals should be given the same rights as people, while 62% say they deserve some protection but can still be used for the benefit of humans. The strong animal rights view is up from 2008 when 25% thought animals’ rights should be on par with humans’ Very few Americans, 3%, believe animals require little protection from harm and exploitation “since they are just animals.” But, as noted, a modestly increasing minority now believe animals should have the same protection from harm and exploitation as people. Gallup first asked Americans about the rights of animals in 2003 and repeated the question in 2008 and again in the latest May 6-10, 2015, poll. The percentage of Americans who support the idea that animals’ rights should be equal to those of humans increased across all major U.S. demographic groups. Women remain more likely to support this view than men do, but support among both groups has increased by a similar amount since 2008. Similarly, Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are more supportive of this view than Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are, but both groups have seen an increase from the last time Gallup asked them. There continues to be little difference between younger and older Americans…”