Oral Presentations and Performances: Session III
Project Type
Presentation
Project Funding and Affiliations
Irene Evers Undergraduate Research
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Dr. Alex Metcalf
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Society of Conservation
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Effective coexistence between wildlife populations and the people that live with them requires an understanding of how people feel toward the species and their management. Bison occupy a unique place in conservation history and management. Once extirpated across nearly all of their range and only recently introduced to areas outside of large tracts of federal land, they are now a jurisdictionally challenged species, with varying management paradigms across a patchwork of landowners and managers. Recent research has shown how activating different social identities can distort people’s attitudes toward species. Here, I explore whether activating urban and rural identities distorts people’s attitudes towards bison. To explore this question, I used an online survey and randomized treatments for respondents (n=1,029, across 8 Western states). I used quantitative, continuous response scales to capture fine‐scale variation in attitudes. I found that a positive attitude towards bison persisted across rural and urban identities, as well as age, gender, and political groups. I also found that respondents significantly underestimated cross group (Rural/Urban) attitudes towards bison. This study adds to a growing body of literature exploring how underlying identities and attitudes influence people's perceptions of wildlife, other people, and conservation-related actions.
Category
Life Sciences
Perceptions and Meta Perceptions of Bison in the West
UC 327
Effective coexistence between wildlife populations and the people that live with them requires an understanding of how people feel toward the species and their management. Bison occupy a unique place in conservation history and management. Once extirpated across nearly all of their range and only recently introduced to areas outside of large tracts of federal land, they are now a jurisdictionally challenged species, with varying management paradigms across a patchwork of landowners and managers. Recent research has shown how activating different social identities can distort people’s attitudes toward species. Here, I explore whether activating urban and rural identities distorts people’s attitudes towards bison. To explore this question, I used an online survey and randomized treatments for respondents (n=1,029, across 8 Western states). I used quantitative, continuous response scales to capture fine‐scale variation in attitudes. I found that a positive attitude towards bison persisted across rural and urban identities, as well as age, gender, and political groups. I also found that respondents significantly underestimated cross group (Rural/Urban) attitudes towards bison. This study adds to a growing body of literature exploring how underlying identities and attitudes influence people's perceptions of wildlife, other people, and conservation-related actions.