More than ever before, individuals and institutions are taking action to establish a new kind of relationship between humans and animals. We’ve made great progress as a society, such as establishing higher welfare standards for some animals used in research or slowing down the increase in farmed animals raised in cruel conditions, but there is still a huge amount of work to be done.

One critical issue we currently face is that we have very limited evidence to tell us which interventions do the most good. Interventions differ greatly in their methods, messages, resources required, and ultimately, the extent to which they lead to positive outcomes for animals. Without rigorous evidence, it can be difficult to ensure that we are using our limited resources in ways that help animals as much as possible.