Measuring “Iconicism” through the Iconic Species Scale

Abstract

Though “iconic species” are mentioned throughout the environmental discourse, this concept is seldom operationalized in conservation research. This study proposes the Iconic Species Scale (ISS) to assess perceptions of iconic characters and the value of species. The ISS was developed and tested across two species (sea turtles/live oaks) and two participant types (residents/tourists) (N = 457) to assess scale reliability and validity. Following scale development approaches, the ISS was refined and verified through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Statistical measures confirmed a two-factor structure and measurement equality across the case species and participant groups. While further testing across cultural and species contexts is recommended, the ISS is presented as a reliable and valid scale to gauge the iconicity of species across various stakeholders. As certain species are often the face of conservation efforts, iconic species are a particularly important aspect of stakeholder support and paramount to building political support for environmental management.

Keywords:

• Conservation psychology
• place-based conservation
• psychometrics
• survey design
• symbolic value
• tourism
• wildlife values

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the reviewers for providing input on this manuscript.

Data Availability Statement

Data generated and analyzed within this study are available on reasonable request from the corresponding author.