Attitudes Toward Animals Among Norwegian Children and Adolescents: Species Preferences

Five hundred and sixty two children and adolescents, aged between 9 and 15 years, from one urban and three rural areas in southern Norway, completed a questionnaire in which they expressed their degree of preference for various animal species. The dog, cat, horse, and rabbit were the favourite species, while the crow, worm, bee, and spider were the least liked. Girls were more positive toward horses, and were more pet-orientated than boys, while more boys than girls preferred wild animals. Younger respondents liked animals more than did 15-year-olds, with a few exceptions: the wolf, bear, and whale. Urban respondents liked animals more than rural respondents did, a finding which applied to the large carnivores in particular. Interests in wildlife decreased with increasing age, and few respondents wished to save ecologically-significant species (ants, bees, ladybirds) from extinction.