A study of attitudes pertaining to the Richardson's ground squirrel

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES 1.0 I N T R O D U C T I O N 1.1 OBJECTIVES AND HYPOTHESES 1.2 OUTLINE OF THESIS 1.3 N E W PARADIGM IN WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT 1.3.1 Attitudes The conceptual framework 1.3.2 Limitations of attitude theory 1.3.3 Role of Knowledge 1.3.4 Social constructions of wildlife 1.3.5 Value orientations between different populations 1.3.6 Methods used in attitude research 1.3. 7 Norm Theory 1.4 H O W MANY ARE TOO MANY? 1.4. 1 Socially based wildlife (over)population theories 1.5 WHAT CONSTITUTES A PEST? 1.5. 1 Economic competition and overabundance 1.5. 2 Health Hazard. 1.6 PROBLEM ANIMALS AND MANAGEMENT 1.6. 1 Current Management Methods 1.6. 2 Current RGS numbers and reduction campaigns. 1.7 BIOLOGY O F R G S S 1.8 R G S ROLE IN ECOSYSTEM 1.8. 1 Species connected to RGSs 1.8. 2 Predators ofRGSs 1.8. 3 Importance of RGSs in maintaining soil quality. 1.8. 4 RGSs and herbivorous foraging relationships 2 . 0 I V I E T H O D O L O G Y 2 . 1 QUESTIONNAIRE 2 . 2 SAMPLING AND DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES 2.2. 1 Pilot Testing 2.2.2 Data Collection 2.2. 3 Rural Sample 2.2.4 Urban Sample 2.2.5 Student Sample 2.2. 6 Limitations of this methodology 2 . 3 DATA MANAGEMENT 2 . 4 STATISTICAL ANALYSES 2.4. 1 Results of scale testing 71 2 . 5 SAMPLE DEMOGRAPHICS 7 3 2.5. 1 Adult population 73 2.5. 2 Grade 12 students 73 3.1 ADULT POPULATION DIFFERENCES IN ATTITUDES TOWARD R G S S 7 5 3.1.1 Adult population differences in perceived severity ofproblems caused by RGSs 83 3.1.2 Adult population differences in knowledge about RGS biology 86 3.1.3 RGS management preferences in the adult population 88 3.1.4 Perceptions of overpopulation 90 3.2 STUDENT-STUDENT AND STUDENT-ADULT DIFFERENCES IN ATTITUDES TOWARD R G S S 9 2 3.2. 1 Perceived severity ofproblems caused by RGSs for student-student and 95 student-adult populations 95 3.2.2 Student-student and student-adult differences in knowledge of RGS biology. 98 3.2. 3 Student-student and student-adult differences in RGS management preferences 102 3.3 GENDER DIFFERENCES IN ATTITUDES TOWARD R G S S FOR THE ADULT POPULATION 1 0 7 3.3.1 Rural people 107 3.3.2 Those with agricultural experience 107 3.3.3 Urban people 109 3.3.4 Those with no agricultural experience 109 3.4 GENDER DIFFERENCES WITHIN THE ADULT POPULATION FOR THE PERCEIVED SEVERITY OF PROBLEMS CAUSED BY R G S S 1 1 2 3.5 GENDER DIFFERENCES WITHIN THE ADULT POPULATION IN KNOWLEDGE ABOUT R G S BIOLOGY 1 1 2 3 . 6 GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE ADULT POPULATION FOR R G S MANAGEMENT PREFERENCES 1 1 9 3.6. 1 Rural people 119 3.6. 2 Those with agricultural experience 119 3.6. 3 Urban people 122 3.6. 4 Those with no agricultural experience 122 3 . 7 GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE STUDENT POPULATION FOR THOSE WITH NO AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE 1 2 4 3 . 8 GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE STUDENT POPULATION FOR THOSE WITH AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE 1 2 6 3.8. 1 Attitudes toward RGSs 126 3.8. 2 Knowledge about RGS biology 126 3.8. 3 Management preferences 128 3 . 9 U OF I, WEB-POSTED QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS 1 3 0 4 . 1 ATTITUDES, MANAGEMENT AND EDUCATION 1 3 4 4 . 2 BELIEFS AND ATTITUDES THAT ARE MOST LIKELY TO INFLUENCE BEHAVIOURS 1 3 5