Crufts “controversy” boosts visibility but weakens sentiment for The Royal Kennel Club

Crufts is one of the UK’s most high-profile dog shows, organised annually by The Royal Kennel Club. This year’s edition, in March, drew widespread media attention following the ‘Best in Show’ winner, which included criticism of the dog’s physical characteristics and the winning handler’s past animal cruelty conviction.

Using YouGov’s CharityIndex, which tracks brand health metrics such as Awareness, Buzz, Reputation and Recommend, we can assess how public perceptions of The Royal Kennel Club shifted in the lead-up to and aftermath of this moment.

How The Royal Kennel Club's brand perceptions shifted before and after Crufts 2026

In the lead-up to Crufts, CharityIndex data shows positive momentum across multiple brand metrics.

Measures such as Impact (net score 23), Impression (net score rising to 16) and Recommend (net score 10) suggest that perceptions of The Royal Kennel Club were relatively strong heading into the event.

However, following the “Best in Show” competition on 8 March, this trend reverses. Several key metrics decline:

• Buzz moves into negative territory
• Recommend after rising to a net score of 10 falls to around 3–4 (net score)
• Reputation rises to a net score of 10 but eventually drops

Data suggests that while Crufts drove engagement, it was followed by a broad softening in how the organisation was perceived by Brits.

Key insight #1: Pet owners show a sharper and more sustained drop in sentiment than the general public

Looking specifically at Buzz (brand sentiment), pet owners (i.e, Brits who have one of these as pets: Dog, cat, Rabbit, Guinea pig, Hamster, Gerbil, mouse, rat) show a more pronounced reaction than the wider public.

Before Crufts, pet owner Buzz net score is higher than the national average.

After the event, closer to the end of the month, Buzz scores of both groups, the general population and pet owners are in the negative territory. Where pet owners score lands at –2, that of all UK adults is at –1.

Key insight #2: Awareness and Attention rise post-Crufts' ‘Best in Show’, but key brand metrics weaken

Comparing the period before Crufts (21 February–7 March 2026) with the period after the ‘Best in Show’ event (8 March–22 March 2026), The Royal Kennel Club sees a clear increase in visibility.

Awareness rises from 47% to 51%, while Attention also increases from 2% to 4%, indicating that the charity became more prominent in public conversation following the event.

However, this increased visibility is not matched by stronger sentiment. Buzz shifts from a positive net score of 1 to neutral (0), while Recommend declines from 6 to 4 and Reputation from 8 to 6, suggesting a reduced willingness to speak positively about the organisation. At the same time, Value falls further from -4 to -7, pointing to a decline in willingness to consider donating.

A similar but more pronounced pattern is seen among pet owners. Awareness increases more sharply, from 55% to 60%, while Attention doubles from 3% to 6%, highlighting a stronger rise in engagement among this audience.

Despite this, perceptions weaken more noticeably. Buzz drops from a positive net score of 2 to neutral (0), while Recommend declines from 9 to 5 and Reputation from 13 to 8, larger falls than those seen among the general public. Meanwhile, Value decreases from -1 to -5, indicating a more significant drop in willingness to donate.

Andrew Cook, Associate Director, Product Team at YouGov notes that, "Brits are well known for our love of animals and Crufts has always been a highlight in the four-legged calendar. Given YouGov's ability to reflect public opinion, it felt right to look as to how this year's controversy effected sentiment towards Royal Kennel Club. Charities really need to keep the public invested in their cause right now."

Methodology:

Glossary of metrics (YouGov CharityIndex)

• Aided Brand Awareness:
  Which of the following charities have you ever heard of?
• Word of Mouth (WOM) Exposure:
  In the past two weeks, which charities have you talked about with friends or family?
• Buzz:
  Over the PAST TWO WEEKS, which of the following charities have you heard something POSITIVE/NEGATIVE about?
• Attention (Derived Metric):
  Positive plus negative buzz
• Impression (Belief in cause):
  Which of these charities support a cause you BELIEVE /DO NOT BELIEVE in?
• Recommend:
  Which of these charities would you speak about POSITIVELY / NEGATIVELY to others?
• Impact (Quality) :
  Which of these charities do you believe has a POSITIVE/NEGATIVE impact on their cause?
• Value (Willingness to donate up to £25):
  Which of these charities would you CONSIDER/NEVER CONSIDER donating all/some of £25 to?
• Reputation:
  Would you be PROUD/EMBARASSED to work for this charity?
• Satisfaction (Positive experience):
  Which of these charities do you have a POSITIVE/NEGATIVE experience of?

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