Freakonomics Radio Why Does Everyone Hate Rats? (Update)
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Apr 22, 2026 
Ed Glaeser, a Harvard economist focused on cities, Bethany Brookshire, a science writer on animal villains, and Kathy Corradi, New York’s former rat czar, dig into why rats became urban public enemy number one. They explore plague myths, how culture shapes animal reputations, why rats thrive beside humans, and how cities try to control them without turning them into monsters.
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Rat Population Numbers Sound Precise But Aren't
- New York cannot credibly count its rats, so headline population numbers create false precision.
- Kathy Corradi refused to endorse estimates like 3 million because such figures become misleading benchmarks across years.
Rats Win By Living At Humanity's Table
- Rats are “commensal” animals that prosper because humans set the table for them in dense cities.
- Kathy Corradi says their edge is adaptability: they avoid novelty, test food cautiously, and exploit urban space just behind humans.
Rat Disgust Is More Modern Than People Think
- Rats became linked with disgust and disease surprisingly late; earlier people mainly hated them for eating stored food.
- Bethany Brookshire says the strong plague association is relatively recent, despite rats’ long history on ships and in settlements.
