DOI: 10.5061/dryad.bk3j9kdq3
title: Giant icons and lesser kin: Chinese public perception of panda welfare at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

description: In this paper, we consider the extent to which wildlife tourism in China
 has become a nodal point where human-animal interactions have been
 consistently shaped and reshaped by the multiple layers of naturecultural
 complexity. We do this by investigating Chinese visitors' evaluations
 of animal welfare as they apply to red and giant pandas at the Chengdu
 Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (Panda Base). A survey of Chinese
 visitors indicated generally positive perceptions of the welfare
 conditions of pandas at the Panda Base. Visitors largely viewed the
 institution as providing excellent care to pandas, reflecting a high
 degree of public trust in the organization. While red pandas were
 perceived to experience slightly better welfare conditions, visitor
 concern and attention focused more heavily on giant pandas—possibly due to
 their iconic status. This study investigates how species status and
 environmental visibility influence Chinese visitors’ perceptions of animal
 welfare at a major wildlife tourism site. It highlights how iconic animals
 such as the giant panda are often assumed to receive excellent care, while
 lesser-known species like the red panda invite more diverse
 interpretations—thus revealing a potential symbolic bias in public welfare
 judgments. These findings suggest a symbolic bias in welfare judgments,
 shaped not only by observable enclosure features but also by the animals’
 cultural significance in the native culture.
description: # Giant icons and lesser kin: Chinese public perception of panda welfare
 at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.bk3j9kdq3](10.5061/dryad.bk3j9kdq3) ## Description of the
 data and file structure This dataset is generated for the
 questionnaire, **Giant panda welfare and informed consent questionnaire**
 ### Files and variables #### File: Pandas_consent_Submission.xlsx
 **Description:**  **Giant_Red**: 1 = Questionnaire collected for the giant
 panda; 2 = Questionnaire collected for the red panda ##### Survey
 Variables * 1\. Your gender: [Single Choice]* | ○ Male | ○ Female | |
 :----- | :------- | 2\. Your age: [Fill in the blank] *
 \________________________________\_ 3\. Your occupation: [Single Choice] *
 | ○ Full-time | | :----------- | | ○ Student | | ○ Freelance | | ○
 Unemployed | | ○ Retired | | ○ Other | 4\. Your education: [Single Choice]
 * | ○ Less than college | | :----------------------- | | ○ Some college |
 | ○ Undergraduate | | ○ Postgraduate and above | 5\. Your residence:
 [Single Choice] * | ○ Chengdu | | :------------------------- | | ○
 First-tier cities | | ○ Other regions in Sichuan | | ○ Provincial
 capitals  | | ○ Other | 6\. How many times have you visited the Panda
 Base? [Single Choice]  | ○ Once | | :----------------- | | ○ 2 times and
 more | 7\. Have you paid sufficient attention to the following [Matrix
 Single Choice] * | | Yes | No | | :------------------------------------ |
 :-- | :- | | Nutrition of the panda | ○ | ○ | | Physical environmental
 conditions | ○ | ○ | | Health conditions | ○ | ○ | | Consent indicators |
 ○ | ○ | | Behavioral interactions-Environment  | ○ | ○ | | Behavioral
 interactions-Other animals | ○ | ○ | | Behavioral interactions-Keepers | ○
 | ○ | | Behavioral interactions-Tourists | ○ | ○ | 8\. Please evaluate the
 food supply of the giant panda [Likert Scale] * | | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
 | | :---------------------------------------------------------------------
 | :- | :- | :- | :- | :- | :- | | Water supply | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | |
 Food quantity | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | | Food quality | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○
 | ○ | | Food variety | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | | Dependent on the first
 option in the first row header of Question 7.1. | | | | | | | 9\. Please
 evaluate the physical environmental conditions of the giant panda [Likert
 Scale] * | | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
 :----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
 :- | :- | :- | :- | :- | :- | | Spacious enclosure | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○
 | | Enriched enclosures | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | | Enclosures protect
 pandas against thermal extremes | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | | Dependent on
 the first option in the seconde row header of Question 7.2. | | | | | | |
 10\. Please evaluate the health conditions of the giant panda [Likert
 Scale] * | | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
 :--------------------------------------------------------------------- |
 :- | :- | :- | :- | :- | :- | | The giant panda does not suffer from acute
 or chronic injuries | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | | The giant panda enjoys
 good healthcare treatment  | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | | The animal is fit
 and attnds exercises | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | | Dependent on the first
 option in the third row header of Question 7.3. | | | | | | | 11\. Please
 evaluate the behavioural interactions- environment of the giant panda
 [Likert Scale] * | | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
 :---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
 :- | :- | :- | :- | :- | :- | | The enclosure reflects the panda’s life
 stage | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | | Males and females are separated | ○ | ○
 | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | | Multiple choices to move and be active | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○
 | ○ | ○ | | Dependent on the first option in the fourth row header of
 Question 7.4. | | | | | | | 12\. Please evaluate the behavioural
 interactions- other animals of the giant panda [Likert Scale] * | | 1 | 2
 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
 :--------------------------------------------------------------------- |
 :- | :- | :- | :- | :- | :- | | The animal socializes with a group | ○ | ○
 | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | | The animal plays with its peers | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
 ○ | | The animal can enjoy solidarity | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | |
 Dependent on the first option in the fifth row header of Question 7.5. | |
 | | | | | 13\. Please evaluate the behavioural interactions- keepers of
 the giant panda [LIkert Scale] * | | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
 :--------------------------------------------------------------------- |
 :- | :- | :- | :- | :- | :- | | Keepers are kind and nice | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○
 | ○ | ○ | | Keepers are qualified and skillful | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | |
 Dependent on the first option in the sixth row header of Question 7.6. | |
 | | | | | 14\. Please evaluate the behavioural interactions- tourists of
 the giant panda [Likert Scale] * | | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
 :----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
 :- | :- | :- | :- | :- | :- | | The animal is at ease despite the presence
 of tourists | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | | The animal can respond to tourists
 | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | | Dependent on the first option in the seventh
 row header of Question 7.7. | | | | | | | 15\. Please evaluate the
 informed consent of the giant panda[Likert Scale] * | | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
 | 6 | |
 :------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | :- | :- | :- | :- | :- | :- | | Panda give consent to being used as tourist attractions | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | | Pandas can express to humans their consent to being used as tourist attractions | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | | It is possible for humans to recognize if the animal is expressing consent | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | | Dependent on the first option in the eighth row header of Question 7.8. | | | | | | | ## Code/software Excel. SPSS.  ## Human subjects data The questionnaire received consent to use the deidentified data in the public domain. All data are anonymized. ## Human subjects data The questionnaire received consent to use the deidentified data in the public domain. All data are anonymized.