Climate Change Attitudes of Zoo and Aquarium Visitors: Implications for Climate Literacy Education

ABSTRACT

Climate literacy education can occur in a variety of formal and informal learning settings across an individual's life span. There is increasing recognition that informal learning settings such as zoos and aquariums have an opportunity to greatly contribute to individuals' science learning. Here we present the results of a large-scale survey study of U.S. zoo and aquarium visitors (N = 3,594) designed to gain information about this audience that could guide the development of relevant climate literacy resources. The questionnaire included items from the “Global Warming's Six Americas” validated segmentation procedure to allow comparisons of the climate change attitudes of zoo and aquarium visitors with the published results representing the American public. It also included items that further explored the environmentally relevant characteristics of audiences who visit zoos and aquariums. Guided by a conservation psychology theoretical framework, these items addressed visitors' environmental behavior predispositions, affective connections to wildlife and nature, concern for animals, and social experiences at the zoo or aquarium. Furthermore, visitors rated their interest in learning more about global warming and their trust in zoos as sources of global warming information. Analyses compared the mean ratings across “Six Americas” segments on these items. Results indicate that as compared to the general public, a greater proportion of zoo and aquarium visitors fall within the “alarmed” and “concerned” segments of the “Six Americas” continuum, and a smaller proportion falls within the “cautious,” “disengaged,” “doubtful,” and “dismissive” segments. Additionally, mean ratings for all behavior, affective, concern, experience, interest, and trust items significantly differ across Six Americas segments. These findings offer audience profile information complementary to that provided by the Six Americas research team and that may be used to guide climate literacy resource development.

Key words::

• climate change
• climate literacy
• global warming
• zoo
• aquarium
• education
• free-choice learning
• informal learning
• audience profiles

Acknowledgments

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1043284 and The Boeing Company. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or The Boeing Company.