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Faunalytics is now hiring a research director! As one of the leaders of our organization, the Research Director is responsible for our Original Research and Research Support programs. Read our job posting to learn more about the position and how to apply. https://faunalytics.org/job-posting-research-director/ 

Faunalytics is now accepting applications for our Content Manager! Our Content Manager is responsible for overseeing and maintaining Faunalytics’ Research Library, supporting other team members with developing and editing public-facing content, and working alongside the Content Director to drive the overall vision and execution of Faunalytics’ content plan. Apply to be our next Content Manager by July 31st!

https://faunalytics.org/job-posting-content-manager/

Did you experience restriction, or the limiting, of your food consumption by your parents or caregivers during childhood? If so, please consider participating in a research study. The link below will take you to the informed consent. If you consent to participate, you will be asked a series of questions about your childhood experiences and current psychological and eating experiences. You will also be asked basic demographic questions. The aim of this study is to assess childhood experiences, including food restriction, as they relate to adult behaviors and psychological health. At the end of the study, you will be able to provide your email if you would like to be entered into a raffle for the chance to earn one of thirty $20 gift cards. This survey is estimated to take around 15 minutes. I wanted to add that I have not received a response from the moderators about whether it is okay to post this (I have messaged a few times), so if this is not okay, please let me know!   

Link to the study: https://bgsu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9QAZrhJ8c6vCgkK 

Hi everyone! The Faunalytics team is conducting our annual Community Survey, where we evaluate our impact and get candid feedback about our animal advocacy resources. If you’ve ever used our work or are familiar with what we do, we’d be grateful if you could take a few minutes to give us your thoughts here:

https://carletonpsych.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4YPg7T0JrDyQKV0?src=smred 

Thank you in advance for your help!

The nonprofit sector, including the animal advocacy movement, often uses data and research to improve their tactics to create positive change in the world. Now, Faunalytics has published a research paper that investigates exactly how research is used by animal advocacy organizations. In particular, the report discovers the research needs of advocates, like more accessible material, summaries, and reports on how to effect change. These findings will be of interest to animal advocates, researchers, and those interested in the science of effecting change.

“Advocates are clear about what they need: clear, understandable, and reliable data,” says project supervisor Dr. Jo Anderson, “As this project demonstrates, advocates are the experts on the needs of their organizations, and researchers must work closely with them to create impactful studies that meet those needs.” She adds that she is excited about the five uses of research, as detailed in an accompanying visual explainer, which will help organizations more mindfully plan projects to benefit the advocates themselves.

Key Findings:

1. Research and evidence in animal advocacy can be categorized in terms of five purposes: external legitimacy, internal decision-making, building partnerships, catalyzing action, and identifying problems and solutions.
2. Most organizations and audiences see peer-reviewed publications and the research behind them as the gold standard for rigor. Government and industry research is often seen as biased, but also the basis for the dominant systems and narratives and thus cannot be ignored.
3. Organizations need evidence syntheses that provide a ‘state of the state’ on specific topics, including agreement on key facts and figures when possible, as well as detailed annotated bibliographies, exhaustive literature reviews, or similar extensive summaries of the current state of the knowledge on general topics.
4. The most foundational gaps in the evidence base are related to how to effect change, especially regarding under-researched species and geographies. More social science research and knowledge translation is needed on the impact and efficacy of behavioral nudges on one hand and social movement tactics on the other.
5. Challenges to using existing research include having the time and expertise to translate complexity and ambiguity in research findings into actionable information. More evidence is needed from evaluation and internal data collection about tactics that work AND tactics that do not work to achieve intended outcomes.

As a result of the findings, Faunalytics has decided to enact a few program-wide changes. In 2024, the organization will improve its research strategy by working on agenda-setting in collaboration with other researchers. The organization will accelerate their content by increasing how many external papers it summarizes and publishes and will launch new series to explain the science behind advocacy tactics and how peer-review works in academia. And finally, Faunalytics will expand its reach and accessibility by creating more short-form, visual content with each study to improve its reach.

This report is the latest addition to Faunalytics’ original research collection, which serves to benefit the animal advocacy movement and improve its tactics. A list of upcoming and previous original studies can be found here.