Demographics of voting on the 1996 Massachusetts ballot referendum

Abstract

The influence of rural‐urban differences on wildlife management policy is typically viewed from a social psychological perspective. This study extends this focus by examining the rural‐urban continuum from a sociological outlook. Data for this investigation were obtained from town‐level voting results on a 1996 Massachusetts ballot referendum. The referendum contained three separated components, but was primarily viewed as an anti‐trapping law. The referendum passed by a margin of 2 to 1. We examined the relationship between place of residence and voting behavior to better understand rural‐urban differences relative to wildlife management. Those favoring passage tended to reside in urban and suburban communities of eastern Massachusetts. Almost all towns above a threshold of 400 people/mile² voted for the referendum suggesting that a relationship exists between human population density and wildlife conservation.

Keywords:

• Ballot referendum
• land ethic
• trapping amendment
• voting behavior and demographics
• wildlife decisions