Human-Animal Relationships: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Human Attitudes towards Animals

Today humans, animals, and the environment are remarkably interconnected and interdependent at a global level. How humans and animals relate to each other is a moral, material and cultural matter, and accordingly, their relationship can never be grasped in isolation. This dissertation contributes to the body of knowledge about the sustainable human-animal relationships in Europe and Asia. It analysed Dutch, Chinese and Japanese people’s attitudes toward animals and the emotional and environmental relationship between companion animals and owners from cultural and economic perspectives. Results show the emotional relationships between companion animals and owners on the one hand, and acknowledge the significant environmental impacts of food consumption by companion animals on the other hand. Therefore, finding strategies to balance the positive emotional connection and the negative environmental impacts between companion animals and owners is an excellent prelude to achieving the sustainable human-animal relationships