General Findings, Data, Information
General findings and data from the research conducted:
How did the responses vary from participants at the zoo vs. participants not at the zoo?
How did the responses vary from participants based on political affiliation?
What does a participant's value of zoos say about their environmental consciousness?
How did the responses vary from participants at the zoo vs. participants not at the zoo?
How did the responses vary from participants based on political affiliation?
What does a participant's value of zoos say about their environmental consciousness?
Being at the zoo
Participants who took the survey at the zoo generally had a more positive perception of zoos, than the participants taking the survey who were not at the zoo:
-they agreed zoos to be an important aspect of their communities
-they agreed zoos to be an important aspect of their communities
-they agreed zoos play an important role in conservation, education, and research
-and they were generally more likely to engage in and support conservation efforts
While it is true that participants who were at the zoo did not show more support for environmental issues in every category, they did show a higher tendency to value animals, preservation, and zoos, so changing the public's perception of preserving wildlife could be aided by getting more people to go to the zoo.
Political Affiliation
Data from the survey indicates an almost uniform division down party lines between Democrat, Republican, Independent, and Libertarian voters:
-Democrats and Independent voters universally more likely to value zoos, and are universally more likely to rate the function of education, research, and conservation higher as the role of zoos, than Republican and Libertarian voters
-Democrats and Independent voters universally more likely to value zoos, and are universally more likely to rate the function of education, research, and conservation higher as the role of zoos, than Republican and Libertarian voters
-Democrat, Independent, and Libertarian, voters were generally more likely to be concerned about environmental issues, including loss of biodiversity, polluted air, and supporting the Endangered Species Act, and, interestingly, Libertarian voters lead both Democrats and Independents with the most concern for loss of biodiversity, whereas Republican voters generally showed less concern in all three
-and Democrat and Independent voters were generally more willing to sacrifice for environmental issues through higher taxes, and environmental legislation that could negatively impact the economy, though all four groups indicated a willingness to engage in conservation efforts (with Democrats taking a much sharper lead), and Democrats indicate a much sharper willingness to self-sacrifice in all three categories
From the data above, it is very clear the individual's political affiliation may indicate how much they value zoos, how concerned they are with environmental issues, and their willingness to self-sacrifice for the environment, with Democrats indicating generally more concern, Republicans indicating generally less, Libertarians indicating a concern for the environment, though aren't willing to act at the cost of higher taxes or negative impact to the economy, and Independents taking a generally moderate stance in every category.