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ABSTRACT
Tolerance for wildlife can be informed by a person’s beliefs, attitudes, norms, or other characteristics. Although theoretical papers emphasize the interrelations of these multiple antecedents of wildlife tolerance, empirical studies have not tested them using a rigorous scale development process. We used psychometrics to characterize the cognitive antecedents of tolerance toward black bears (Ursus americanus). Proposed scale items were tested via web-hosted questionnaire (n = 240) and refined into 29 items representing five antecedent dimensions of tolerance for black bears. We then administered these items to a different sample of recreational trail users in western Oregon (n = 210). Second-order confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a 19-item measure representing four distinct yet related antecedent dimensions of tolerance: antipathy, connection, lethal control (damage), and lethal control (danger to self, pets, and economics). These dimensions help better explain why people may be more or less tolerant toward black bears and, potentially, other wildlife.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to the respondents who completed the questionnaire. We would like to acknowledge the reviewers and Dr. Adam Haley for their feedback on the writing of this paper. Dr. Jimmy Taylor for his knowledge on the ecology of black bears in Oregon, and Dr. Mark Needham for his statistical expertise. We appreciate the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for sharing their black bear mortality data. Oregon State University’s Institutional Review Board approved all survey and administration procedures (protocol #8666).
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).