The complex relationship between personal sense of connection to animals and self-reported proenvironmental behaviors by zoo visitors.
The global biodiversity crisis requires an engaged citizenry that provides collective support for public policies and recognizes the consequences of personal consumption decisions. Understanding the factors that affect personal engagement in proenvironmental behaviors is essential for the development of actionable conservation solutions. Zoos and aquariums may be some of the only places where many people can explore their relations with wild animals and proenvironmental behaviors. Using a moderated-mediation analysis of a survey of U.S. zoo and aquarium visitors (n = 3588), we explored the relationship between the sense of connection to animals and self-reported engagement in proenvironmental behaviors related to climate change and how this relationship is affected by certainty that climate change is happening, level of concern about climate change, and perceptions of effectiveness in personally addressing climate change. We found a significant, directional relationship between sense of connection to animals and self-reported proenvironmental behaviors. Political inclination within the conservative to liberal spectrum did not affect the relationship. We conclude that a personal sense of connection to animals may provide a foundation for educational and communication strategies to enhance involvement in proenvironmental actions.
Woodland Park Zoo, 5500 Phinney Avenue N., Seattle, WA, 98103, U.S.A.
Alejandro
A
Grajal
Chicago Zoological Society, Center for Conservation Leadership, 3300 Golf Road, Brookfield, IL, 60513, U.S.A.
Jerry F
JF
Luebke
Chicago Zoological Society, Center for Conservation Leadership, 3300 Golf Road, Brookfield, IL, 60513, U.S.A.
Lisa-Anne DeGregoria
LD
Kelly
Chicago Zoological Society, Center for Conservation Leadership, 3300 Golf Road, Brookfield, IL, 60513, U.S.A.
Jennifer
J
Matiasek
College of Wooster, Psychology Department, Morgan Hall, 930 College Mall, Wooster, OH, 44691, U.S.A.
Susan
S
Clayton
College of Wooster, Psychology Department, Morgan Hall, 930 College Mall, Wooster, OH, 44691, U.S.A.
Bryan T
BT
Karazsia
Antioch University New England, Department of Environmental Studies, 40 Avon Street, Keene, NH, 03431, U.S.A.
Carol D
CD
Saunders
University of Illinois at Chicago, Learning Sciences Research Institute, 1240 W. Harrison Street, Chicago, IL, 60607, U.S.A.
Susan R
SR
Goldman
Pennsylvania State University, Earth System Science Center, 523 Walker Building, University Park, PA, 16802, U.S.A.
Michael E
ME
Mann
Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation, 1500 Remount Road, Front Royal, VA, 22630, U.S.A.
Ricardo
R
Stanoss
D000818:Animals; D000836:Animals, Zoo; D044822:Biodiversity; D057231:Climate Change; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D006801:Humans; D011639:Public Opinion; D057566:Self Report
CBD; acuarios; aquariums; biodiversity targets; cambio climático; climate change; education; modelos de mediación moderada; moderated-mediation models; objetivos de biodiversidad; psicología; psychology; zoológicos; zoos