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Warming waters as a result of climate change have seen surges in octopus numbers as far north as Scotland, according to a study published last week. Our poll subsequently showed that half of Britons (51%) either like or love octopuses, with 38% taking a neutral stance , and only 7% have negative opinions of the eight-armed aquatic animals.
But what are Britons’ favourite animals? And what is it about them that makes them their favourite? To dig deeper into public’s preferences, we used our new YouGov AI Interviewer tool to ask respondents about their favourite animals.
The AI agent then conducted interviews with each respondent, following up on their responses, in order to provide ‘the why’ behind what Britons think. Our qualitative analysis of attitudes, including quotes, can be found below, along with examples of respondent interviews in their entirety.
Aesthetics and physical traits
People often bring up their appreciation for an animal's visual beauty, physical power, and grace, as well as the tactile comfort derived from their softness or physical presence.
- They move so gracefully and are just beautiful to look at… They move like they haven’t got a care in the world – Giraffe (Female, 55+)
- They are supreme survivors and can withstand complete dehydration, atomic radiation that would kill us, and the vaccum of space. – Tardigrades (Male, 55+)
- Snow leopards are so majestic , beautiful to look at and, sadly, endangered… The way they move, their power and agility, they are poetry in motion. – Snow leopards (Female, 55+)
- They’re cute but unusual, they’re endangered and they permanently look nervous – Pangolins (Female, 25-34)
- They have a balance of size, weight, texture and behaviour that does a lot of cool things for me. The way in which they curl around humans - not because they want to eat us - because we're warm and they're cold I think is almost cute. – Royal pythons (Male, 25-34)
- King of the jungle. Powerful. Beautiful creatures… Their prowess and hinting capabilities and the ability to survive in hostile environments that humans could never survive in – Lions (Male, 45-54)
Loyalty and companionship
Another common theme within answers is the value placed on animals for providing unwavering devotion, consistent friendship, and emotional security through non-judgmental companionship.
- They are loyal, always greet you, give comfort, make you exercise, guard your home… Regardless of my mood, a dog wags his tail showing pleasure at my arrival and may lick me. My mood lightens and I feel loved and needed. – Dogs (Female, 55+)
- I find them calming especially horses as they can lower their heart rate to match yours. I have experienced this. – Horses (Female, 55+)
- They’re very misunderstood, domestic Cats can be very loving but people say they are aloof but a cat will choose you and it’s the most wonderful Feelin in the world to be chosen by a cat. Lions live in complex family groups which isn’t often shown on the TV. - Cats..big and small (Female, 55+)
- when they're small you can hold them in your palms and they are just so fluffy and unbelievably adorable and cute and innocent… They are still small, not programmed for hate, so maybe they won't bite, they will just cuddle with me and lay on my chest. It's comforting for me and maybe it feels like a source of protection and care for them – Bunnies and rabbits (Female, 25-34)
Behaviour and entertainment
Many people also cited the enjoyment they derived from watching or interacting with animals that exhibit energetic, humorous, or engaging behaviors.
- I hatched 7 of them 2 months ago and I'm obsessed with them at the moment… They're very curious and playful… They engage in adult type behaviours as practice for when they're grown. Because of their small size, it looks comical – Chickens (Female, 45-54)
- I do like cockatoos. They are so funny to watch and can be cheeky. They are great entertainment – Cockatoos (Female, 55+)
- they're so cute and underrated and coconuts actually kill more humans every year than sharks do!! and they're literally just little sea puppies… whale sharks are 100% gentle giants and they're so elegant. black tip reef sharks are very stylish (my personal favourites) and not really aggressive! nurse sharks are completely docile. lemon sharks are literally known as puppies of the ocean – sharks (Female, 16-17)
- they are absolutely cute and carefree. most of time, they have very good temper, is a peaceful kind of animal. their appearance is a big black / white teddy bear. the way they eat, play is very soothing and relaxing to look at. – Pandas (Female, 45-54)
Other themes
Other themes present included animals’ unique resilience and biological traits, conversations about conservation and ethics, and parallels and comparisons with humans.
- The main thing is that I am vegan. I came to this decision through being the proud 'owner' of a cat and a dog… I realised how wonderful those animals were. Their personalities and the love and affection they gave made me re-consider animala and the ways society treats other species. – Cats and dogs (Male, 35-44)
- These are interesting animals very different from what you come across in general life. These are also animals which are an evolutionary product of their environment and therefore could give insight into what life beyond the planet earth might resemble. – Box jellyfish (Male, 35-44)
- Mega hives are very interesting and for their size , the strength is amazing and ability to coordinate so many is great… These animals are not selfish abd work together for the better of all their pack/colony humans could larn something from that – Ants (Male, 25-34)
- Their size, how cute they look in contrast to how dangerous they can be… That's just part of who I am, I love things that look great but terrify me with how dangerous they are. Wolves, large cats, bears, even things that aren't animals, waterfalls, fire ect – Grizzly bears (Female, 25-34)
- Good attitude to life… Don't give a toss about others… I wish I could behave this way – Donkeys (Male, 55+)