Dataset associated with: Identification With Animals Measure: French Validation and Application to Specific Human-Wildlife Relations

Understanding how humans identify with animals may clarify human-nature relations and related social conflicts. This research adapts the Identification With Animals Measure (IWAM, Amiot et al., 2020) into French and examines its structure and correlates across three independent samples.
Study 1 (N = 192) explored the factorial structure of the French IWAM using an Exploratory Factorial Analysis (EFA). Results replicated the original three-factor solution: Animal Pride (AP), Solidarity with Animals (SOL), and Human-Animal Similarity (SIM), but revealed inconsistencies for items 6 and 9.
Study 2 (N = 335) conducted further exploratory factorial analyses, yielding a clearer and more stable three-factor structure, although item 6 remained somewhat inconsistent. As anticipated, AP was positively associated with valuing being an animal and with pro-animal attitudes. It was negatively related to Social Dominance Orientation (SDO), in line with correlational findings by Amiot et al. (2020). Interestingly, value of being an animal positively predicted SDO in regression analyses. SOL showed robust positive associations with pro-animal attitudes, a free-meat diet, and contact with pets, and negative associations with SDO. These links remained significant when controlling for the social value of being an animal. SIM correlated positively with contact with pets and negatively with speciesism and both SDO dimensions. However, in regression models including all IWAM dimensions, contact with pets was marginally and negatively predicted, replicating a reversal pattern observed by Amiot et al. (2020), possibly reflecting resistance to domination inherent in pet ownership.
Study 3 (N = 98) examined IWAM among farmers and outdoor sports practitioners. Contrary to expectations, no significant group differences emerged on IWAM dimensions, mental capacity attributions, or SDO, although farmers (especially those working directly with animals) tended to report slightly higher means. Among farmers, SIM predicted stronger attribution of agentic traits to wild animals, whereas among sports practitioners, SOL was the key predictor.
Overall, the French IWAM demonstrates satisfactory structural validity and contextual sensitivity, highlighting that identification with animals is multidimensional and socially situated.