In recent years, we’ve been asked by furries to study the subject of fetishes within the furry fandom. A recent online survey of furries and other fan groups revealed that it would be nearly impossible to meaningfully compare the prevalence of fetishes within the furry fandom to the general population, as furries indicated that they were more likely to be open and honest about their sexuality / fetishes with a researcher than members of other groups were. Nevertheless, we did ask furries to indicate, on a 7-point scale, the extent to which they considered furry to be a fetish themselves and the extent to which they thought the average furry considered furry to be a fetish1. First, it should be noted that both results were less than the mid-point of the scale: Furries indicated their own interest in furry as a fetish as 3.55 and estimated the average furry’s interest at 3.86. More interestingly, the data suggest that furries tend to overestimate the extent to which furry is a fetish for other furries. This is in line with several other findings from past studies suggesting that, despite the perception by many of furry as a fetish, for most furries this is not the case, though furries may themselves be prone to erroneously believing this stereotype about other furries. It should also be noted that this is not to say that there are not furries for whom the fandom is a fetish – prior research suggests that this is likely the case for about 5-10% of the furry fandom. Nor is there anything wrong with furry being a fetish for these folks. Instead, we are simply pointing out that it would be inaccurate to categorize furries as a group as being fetish-based, as it would be describing the group as a whole based on a minority within the group.
Providing meaningful information on this subject is made more challenging by determining appropriate sample groups, adhering to responsible and ethical research guidelines, and finding common language to discuss the subject, among other variables. An upcoming study will help us evaluate the possibility of further research in this area.
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