Ipsos national survey · 2,011 U.S. adults
What Americans really think about biomedical research
We asked. America answered. Eight questions on animal research, tax dollars, and the future of medicine — including the voices most polls leave out: the people who haven’t made up their minds.
Scroll down to explore the eight poll results.Americans support biomedical animal research with veterinary oversight
“I support biomedical animal research when veterinarians watch over it to make sure animals are treated well.”
| Response | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
| Strongly disagree | 7% |
| Somewhat disagree | 6% |
| Somewhat agree | 32% |
| Strongly agree | 30% |
| Neutral | 21% |
| Unsure | 4% |
Most Americans think biomedical animal research is important to human health
“Biomedical animal research is important to human health.”
| Response | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
| Strongly disagree | 7% |
| Somewhat disagree | 7% |
| Somewhat agree | 37% |
| Strongly agree | 21% |
| Neutral | 22% |
| Unsure | 5% |
Half of Americans accept animal research for diseases needing better treatment
“Biomedical animal research is okay for human diseases that need better prevention/treatment.”
| Response | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
| Strongly disagree | 8% |
| Somewhat disagree | 9% |
| Somewhat agree | 33% |
| Strongly agree | 17% |
| Neutral | 27% |
| Unsure | 7% |
Half of Americans say animal research should continue until alternative methods are proven equal
“Biomedical animal research should continue until methods that do not use animals are shown to be just as good or better.”
| Response | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
| Strongly disagree | 10% |
| Somewhat disagree | 10% |
| Somewhat agree | 31% |
| Strongly agree | 20% |
| Neutral | 24% |
| Unsure | 5% |
More Americans support tax dollars for biomedical animal research than oppose
“I support using tax dollars to pay for biomedical animal research that has a clear health benefit.”
| Response | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
| Strongly disagree | 13% |
| Somewhat disagree | 10% |
| Somewhat agree | 31% |
| Strongly agree | 16% |
| Neutral | 24% |
| Unsure | 6% |
Americans strongly reject testing on humans in place of animals
“Humans, including pregnant women and children, should be used to test medical treatments instead of animals.”
| Response | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
| Strongly disagree | 44% |
| Somewhat disagree | 19% |
| Somewhat agree | 10% |
| Strongly agree | 6% |
| Neutral | 16% |
| Unsure | 5% |
More Americans would decline than participate in safety testing for new medicines
“I would take part in research to test if a medicine was safe, even if I was healthy and did not need it.”
| Response | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
| Strongly disagree | 19% |
| Somewhat disagree | 20% |
| Somewhat agree | 20% |
| Strongly agree | 10% |
| Neutral | 25% |
| Unsure | 5% |
Most Americans doubt AI can replace biomedical animal research yet
“Artificial intelligence can replace biomedical animal research now.”
| Response | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
| Strongly disagree | 17% |
| Somewhat disagree | 16% |
| Somewhat agree | 20% |
| Strongly agree | 9% |
| Neutral | 24% |
| Unsure | 15% |
The Big Picture
All eight questions on the same scale. Select one to revisit it.
Americans are listening.
Add your voice.
Most Americans support responsible biomedical research — and the undecided are still deciding. Help them hear from Oregon’s scientists, patients, and advocates.
Use Your VoiceSurvey Methodology
Survey Design
These are findings for research conducted between June 10 and June 12, 2026, by Ipsos. For this survey, a sample of 2,011 Americans aged 18 or older were interviewed online in English. Surveys were collected as part of a multi-client omnibus program, where questions on various topics are included in one interview and clients share demographic information collected.
Sampling & Weighting
The sample was randomly drawn from Ipsos’ online panel, partner online panel sources, and “river” sampling and does not rely on a population frame in the traditional sense. After a sample has been obtained from the Ipsos panel, Ipsos calibrates respondent characteristics to be representative of the U.S. Population using standard procedures such as raking-ratio adjustments. The source of these population targets is U.S. Census 2024 American Community Survey data. The sample drawn for this study reflects fixed sample targets on age and gender. Post-hoc weights were made to the population characteristics on age, gender, region, ethnicity, and household income.
Precision
Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online non-probability surveys. Instead, the precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the survey has a credibility interval of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points for all respondents. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error and measurement error. Where figures do not sum to 100, this is due to the effects of rounding.
Who Was Surveyed
2,011 U.S. adults, weighted to be nationally representative