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Abstract
Several trends indicate public attitudes toward wolves and other charismatic wildlife changed during the 20th century. However, empirical studies indicate relative stability in attitudes toward wolves—at least in recent decades. We analyzed ∼30,000 evaluative expressions about wolves in U.S. and Canadian print news media over a 10-year time period (1999 to 2008), and classified each expression by type and valence (i.e., positive, negative). Results show an increase in the percentage of discourse about wolves that is negative. Additionally, discourse varied by exposure to wolves: states with new wolf populations had significantly more negative expressions per article than states and provinces with permanent wolf populations, and states in federal recovery zones that lacked wolves had more negative expressions than states outside of recovery zones. Results suggest that even the anticipated presence of wolf populations alters social discourse about the predator, which could impact attitudes toward wolves over time.