YouGov Poll indicates that public perception of Crufts has improved

A recent YouGov poll indicates that the public perception of Crufts has improved since March 2018.

On 10 March 2025, 3,273 UK adults were asked the question “Which comes closer to your view on the dog show Crufts?“, with the answer options offered as follows: Highly skilled display of dog training expertise, Harmless fun, Cruel and exploitative, Other, and Don’t know. In the most recent survey, only 12% answered “Cruel”, which is a decrease from the 19% who felt that way in 2018. In 2018, which coincidentally was also the last time a Whippet took Best in Show, 5,631 individuals were polled.

23% of the poll participants in 2025 felt that Crufts was a “Highly skilled display of dog training expertise”, and increase of 8% since 2018. In both surveys, a similar portion of people felt that Crufts was simply “Harmless fun”. Overall, our interpretation is that the general public views Crufts, and indeed pedigree dog showing in general, more favorably now than they did six years ago.

Full results are available via the links above. What are your views on the world’s largest dog show?