The Welfare Footprint Framework quantifies welfare as the time animals spend in negative and positive affective states of different intensities. It brings together evidence from physiology, behaviour, neuroscience and pharmacology to estimate the intensity, duration and prevalence of these experiences.
The resulting Welfare Footprint reports cumulative time separately by intensity category, with assumptions and uncertainty made explicit. Researchers can apply the framework independently, use published estimates, contribute to its scientific development and teach it to others.
The metric
Intensity and duration are estimated by synthesizing behavioural, neurophysiological, pharmacological and evolutionary evidence against defined criteria, and are expressed as probabilities across four intensity categories rather than a single value. Prevalence comes from epidemiological evidence; where data are thin, it is given as an uncertainty interval. Each parameter is treated as a hypothesis with a stated uncertainty, and is updated as evidence accumulates. The main limitations, mostly sparse data on timing and prevalence, are set out in the FAQ. The framework does not prescribe whether to improve current systems or move away from them. It makes the welfare consequences of each option comparable. The method is the same for every estimate. What varies is the scope (species, system, life stages and region), and each estimate states its boundaries.
Use the framework in your research
The framework can support research across species, environments and welfare challenges. You can:
- Develop a thesis or dissertation. Apply the framework to a welfare question, investigate a methodological issue, or generate evidence needed to improve an assessment.
- Compare conditions and interventions. Estimate how practices, environments or interventions affect the time animals spend in different affective states.
- Synthesise evidence. Bring together findings from multiple studies to construct or refine a Welfare Footprint.
- Examine uncertainty and test assumptions. Explore which inputs influence conclusions, reproduce an analysis, or propose and evaluate alternative methods.
Collaborate on WFI research
WFI brings together researchers from different disciplines to develop books, scientific papers and Welfare Footprint assessments.
Contributions can include species expertise, evidence reviews, data, interpretation of findings, statistical analysis, modelling, code and scientific review. Substantial contributions may lead to co-authorship, according to the contribution made and the publication’s authorship criteria.
If your expertise could contribute to an ongoing assessment or paper, or you have a proposal for joint research, get in touch.
Help address research gaps
Producing Welfare Footprints reveals where evidence is missing and which uncertainties matter most for decisions. These gaps can provide useful directions for original studies, theses and research funding.
Research can improve estimates of the prevalence, duration and intensity of affective experiences. It can also advance the framework’s methods, including the assessment of affective intensity, interactions between simultaneous experiences, positive experiences and deprivation, comparisons across species, and the treatment of uncertainty.
WFI identifies research priorities by connecting evidence gaps to the estimates they affect and the decisions those estimates inform. We welcome independent research on any of these gaps. If you would like to work on one of them collaboratively with us, get in touch.
Teach the framework
You can incorporate the Welfare Footprint Framework into university lectures, courses, textbooks and practical exercises, or supervise students applying it in their theses.
If you would like WFI to lecture in a course or deliver a workshop at a conference or another academic event, contact us to discuss the audience, format and scope.
Training and certification
Certification is planned for 2027. Details are on the certification page.
WFI may then refer suitable requests to people certified in the framework. Certification will recognise an individual’s competence in applying the framework (it does not mean that WFI endorses the analyses they produce).
Using the framework responsibly
When applying the framework or using published estimates:
- State the scope of the assessment, including the experiences, animals and period covered.
- Report results separately by intensity category, with assumptions and uncertainty.
- Cite the sources, versions and dates of the estimates and protocols used.
- Make the derivation of your estimates transparent so others can examine and build on the work.
Get in touch
Tell us how you are using the framework, propose a research contribution, or discuss teaching, training or a workshop.
Your work can help improve the evidence, extend the methods and bring welfare quantification into more research and teaching.
Have you used the Welfare Footprint Framework or WFI's estimates? Give us your testimony.