Mar 02 2010
Nationwide Poll: 7 out of 10 Americans Wrongly Believe HSUS is a Pet-Shelter “Umbrella Group”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Consumer Group Reminds Americans that Less than One Percent of Donations to HSUS Benefit Local Pet Shelters
Washington, DC – Seventy-one percent of Americans questioned in a new opinion poll wrongly believe the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is an “umbrella group” for America’s local humane societies. Sixty-three percent incorrectly think their local “humane society” is affiliated with HSUS. And fifty-nine percent falsely believe HSUS “contributes most of its money” to local organizations that care for cats and dogs.
The poll, which sampled the opinions of 1,008 Americans, was commissioned by the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) and conducted by Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) of Princeton, New Jersey.
“These numbers indicate that Americans don’t really know what the Humane Society of the United States is all about,” said CCF Director of Research David Martosko. “HSUS intentionally uses those sad dogs and cats in its TV infomercials as props in an animal rights fundraising shell game. Meanwhile, thousands of American pet shelters are underfunded and struggling.” Martosko blogs about HSUS at www.HumaneWatch.org.
According to the federal income tax return filed by HSUS for the tax year 2008, less than one-half of one percent (0.5%) of the organization’s budget consisted of grants to hands-on pet shelters. HSUS does not run a single shelter for dogs or cats anywhere, and it is not affiliated with any local “humane society” organizations.
Martosko continued: “This poll indicates that most Americans think HSUS is a worthy charity. But very few Americans understand what HSUS really is—a super-rich lobbying group that puts more money into its executive pensions than in the hands of local humane societies.”
Survey Methodology
The survey of 1,008 adults nationwide was conducted by telephone between February 25 and February 28, 2010 by Opinion Research Corporation. The margin of error is plus or minus three percentage points.
Questions:
I'm going to read you the names of several nonprofit organizations. For each one, please tell me if you are very familiar, somewhat familiar or totally unfamiliar with the organization.
The Humane Society of the United States: 79% familiar (“very”/“somewhat” net)
I'm going to read you several statements. For each one, please tell me if you think the statement is true or false.
71% “TRUE”: The Humane Society of the United States is an umbrella group that represents thousands of local humane societies all across America
63% “TRUE”: My local humane society or pet shelter is AFFILIATED with the Humane Society of the United States.
59% “TRUE”: The Humane Society of the United States contributes most of its money to local organizations that care for dogs and cats.
48% “TRUE”: My local humane society or pet shelter receives financial support from the Humane Society of the United States.
(Tax records filed by HSUS show that all four statements are false.)
To learn more about the Humane Society of the United States, visit www.HumaneWatch.org. To arrange an interview, call Allison Miller at 202-463-7112.
The Center for Consumer Freedom is a nonprofit watchdog organization that informs the public about the activities of tax-exempt activist groups. It is supported by American consumers, business organizations, and foundations.
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The Best of HumaneWatch • Press Releases • Pets • (4) Comments
Comments
Thank you for all your work in getting the correct word out there. It’s so important for all of us to do are part in spreading the word.
Do we have the results of any past studies? Are there plans to repeat this in the future to gauge how much impact we’re having?
Well, there goes my membership, and the other donations I make to the HSUS several times per year. I think my money will better be used locally, and I shall now send my donations directly to the local shelters or to Guiding Eyes for the Blind and other such organizations.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for such clear and concise information.
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This confirms what we all knew, but it’s nice to finally have some numbers behind it.
Of course, Wayne and his underlings will play the “CCF is evil!” card, even though the survey itself was conducted by ORC, a well-respected marketing research firm. A simple Google search shows that CNN frequently uses them to conduct polls.