Attitudes toward badger culling appear to differ in terms of location in the UK and when the questionnaires were conducted.
Public opinions in Glastonbury and York in 1999, through questionnaires (White and Whiting, 2000):
- Preferred no culling
- Widespread culling least favoured
- Knowledge about culls affected opinions
- More knowledge about culls -> greater cull preference due to human health concerns and economic costs to farmers
- Less knowledge about culls -> primarily concerned with badger welfare and conservation
Public opinions in Wales in 2015, through questionnaires (Enticott, 2015):
- 63% preferred vaccination over culling
- Overall, slight majority agreed with culling to control bTB
- Most felt that the current scientific reports about cull effectiveness were not adequate