Monday, June 21, 2004
BRITISH PUBLIC OPINION ON HUNTING
Laws affecting the rights of a minority should never be decided by the superficial opinion of the majority. However, politicians and the anti-hunt lobby, in the absence of logical arguments, have repeatedly claimed that their mandate for a ban is “the will of the people”.
Anti-hunting MPs frequently repeated claims of "clear public support" for a ban on hunting,with “70% of the public” being the most frequently quoted figure.
The evidence contained within this document clearly shows that these claims, if they were ever supportable, are completely out of date.
The analysis reveals that:
1. There is no clear majority of public opinion for a ban on hunting – support for a ban has been declining since 1997
2. The general public consider that hunting legislation should be a low priority for government action
3. Legislation to ban hunting is rejected by those who know most about it and by people who live in rural areas
Anti-hunting MPs frequently repeated claims of "clear public support" for a ban on hunting,with “70% of the public” being the most frequently quoted figure.
The evidence contained within this document clearly shows that these claims, if they were ever supportable, are completely out of date.
The analysis reveals that:
1. There is no clear majority of public opinion for a ban on hunting – support for a ban has been declining since 1997
2. The general public consider that hunting legislation should be a low priority for government action
3. Legislation to ban hunting is rejected by those who know most about it and by people who live in rural areas
