ABSTRACT
This chapter will summarise the results of public opinion polls over the course of the twentieth century and other sources of evidence, such as Mass Observation. It will also provide statistical evidence of the survival of hunting as a sport, and in particular the continuing popularity of fox hunting. It is an interesting paradox that certain types of hunting maintained, or even increased, their popularity in the twentieth century despite growing public opposition, although the defenders of field sports have tended to overestimate the level of popular support for fox and stag hunting in particular. The Burns Report, commissioned by the Home Office in 1999 to investigate the economic and social arguments relating to hunting with dogs, estimated that there were approximately 28,000 subscribers to fox, deer, hare and mink hunts, and nearly 40,000 members of relevant supporters’ clubs.1 Thus, the total of 68,000 active hunt supporters represented a very small proportion of the overall adult population, although much larger numbers turned out to enjoy the spectacle on specific occasions, such as Boxing Day hunts.
