If You Want to Solve Animal Exploitation, You Have to Help Humans Too

The fight against animal exploitation isn’t just about educating people or exposing industry lies. It’s also about understanding why so many people reject the truth, defend the system, or simply refuse to care. And one of the biggest reasons? Hardship makes many people less empathetic.

The Science of Hardship and Empathy

When people struggle - whether financially, emotionally, or socially - they tend to show less concern for others, especially outgroups. Research in psychology and neuroscience has repeatedly found that:

- Stress reduces compassion. When people are overwhelmed, their brains prioritise survival over moral reflection.  

- Scarcity mindset fuels selfishness. When resources feel limited, people focus on their own needs and may resent calls to care about others.  

- Suffering can desensitise. Some who experience hardship come out more compassionate, but others develop a “toughen up” attitude and see suffering as normal, even necessary.

For many, animals fall squarely into the “outgroup” category. If a human feels ignored, unsupported, or powerless, why would they feel compelled to care about chickens, cows, or pigs?  

Poverty and the Justification of Exploitation

Economic struggle plays a huge role in shaping attitudes toward animals. People who struggle financially are more likely to believe that:

- Eating animals is necessary for survival.  

- Industrial farming is just a fact of life - not an issue of morality.  

- Calls for animal liberation are a luxury belief for the privileged.

This isn’t to say that only wealthier people care about animals (far from it, most vegans are from poor and marginalised groups). But when someone is worried about how they’re feeding their kids or paying rent, they’re less likely to want to hear about factory farming, speciesism, or ethical alternatives.

And it’s not just financial hardship. Social alienation, political instability, and even personal trauma can all make people more likely to double down on the status quo rather than challenge it.  

Hardship Breeds Tribalism

When people feel vulnerable, they tend to cling to their identity groups - whether it’s a nationality, religion, or cultural tradition - you have no doubt noticed in recent years, as throughout history, that extreme political movements thrive in populations experiencing worsening living conditions. This is why so many discussions about veganism turn into emotional battles over heritage, masculinity, or personal autonomy.

Animal rights activists aren’t just challenging a system; they’re challenging deeply ingrained identities. And when people feel that their identity is under attack, they often respond with defensiveness, anger, or mockery - even when they know, deep down, that the facts are against them.  

Breaking the Cycle: Helping Humans Helps Other Animals

So what’s the solution? If we want humans to care about other animals, we have to create a world where they feel safe enough, supported enough, and free enough to care. That means:

1. Addressing economic injustice. People who have access to financial security and affordable plant-based options are more likely to see ethical eating as realistic.  

2. Challenging the myth of survival necessity. Education matters, but it must be delivered in a way that acknowledges people’s struggles rather than dismissing them.  

3. Building bridges instead of walls. When activism comes from a place of empathy - not just for animals but for people - we create allies instead of enemies.  

A Movement for All Beings

If we’re serious about ending animal exploitation, we can’t just fight for animals - we have to fight for humans too. A more just world isn’t just one without slaughterhouses; it’s one where no one - human or non-human - is treated as a disposable commodity. 

Justice isn’t a zero-sum game. When we lift people up, we make space for them to see the truth. And when people truly see, they start to change.