Linking Human Destruction of Nature to COVID-19 Increases Support for Wildlife Conservation Policies

Ganga Shreedhar () and Susana Mourato
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Ganga Shreedhar: The London School of Economics and Political Science
Susana Mourato: The London School of Economics and Political Science

Environmental & Resource Economics, 2020, vol. 76, issue 4, No 26, 963-999

Abstract: Abstract This paper investigates if narratives varying the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic affects pro-wildlife conservation outcomes. In a pre-registered online experiment (N = 1081), we randomly allocated subjects to either a control group or to one of three narrative treatment groups, each presenting a different likely cause of the COVID-19 outbreak: an animal cause; an animal and human cause (AHC); and an animal, human or lab cause. We found that the AHC narrative elicited significantly greater pro-conservation policy support, especially for bans in the commercial trade of wildlife, when compared to the control group. Possible mechanisms driving this effect are that AHC narratives were less familiar, elicited higher mental and emotional engagement, and induced feelings that firms and governments are responsible for mitigating wildlife extinction.

Keywords: Narratives; Communication; Conservation; Wildlife; Extinction; Conservation policy; Environmental policy; Prosocial behaviour; Experiment; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C99 D62 D64 D83 Q20 Q28 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10640-020-00444-x

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