Cognitive and Affective Predictors of Illinois Residents’ Perceived Risks from Gray Wolves

Abstract

Increasing wolf populations are a concern for wildlife managers in the Midwestern U.S. Understanding the psychological mechanisms that contribute to public perceptions of risk will enable development of strategies that seek to mitigate these risks, and suggest where outreach efforts may facilitate acceptance of wolves. We examined the psychological factors that influence Illinois residents’ perceived risks from wolves. We hypothesized that individuals’ perceived risks from wolves were a function of their attitudes toward wolves, negative affect toward wolves, and basic beliefs about wildlife. Data were obtained from a survey of the Illinois public (n = 784). Negative affect and attitudes toward wolves were direct predictors of perceived risks. Basic beliefs predicted attitudes and negative affect toward wolves. Negative affect predicted attitudes. Basic beliefs had direct and indirect effects on perceived risks.

Keywords:

• Attitudes
• cognitive hierarchy
• emotion
• risk
• wildlife value orientations
• wolves

Notes

Acknowledgements

This work was conducted under USFWS Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration grant W-112-R-24. We would like to thank Linda K. Campbell for her work administering this project, as well as several student workers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Notes

1 The WVO items were treated as 4 correlated first order dimensions because the data did not conform to a two factor structure where appropriate use and hunting items loaded on one latent variable (domination) and caring and social affiliation items on another (mutualism). While a second order factor structure is possible, this model with two correlated dimensions is not identified without imposing constraints.