Encounters at the zoo: the role of emotions in influencing environmental attitudes and behaviours

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1 Encounters at the zoo: the role of emotions in influencing environmental attitudes and behaviours Susan Warren PhD Researcher/Advocacy Officer University of Exeter/Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust July 2018

2 Behaviour change at the zoo Community-based social marketing (McKenzie-Mhor, 1999) predominates Credit: Zoos Victoria

3 Attractions and limitations of community based social marketing Clear message to visitors Measurable outputs as evidence base Good fit with zoo research community Do behaviours persist beyond the zoo? Difficulties in showing causality Resource intensive Fails to capture other relevant impacts on visitor from zoo visit

4 Environmental degradation persists.. Credit: Dustan Woodhouse

5 Alternative conceptualisation of behavior change at the zoo? Zoo exhibits provide a unique opportunity for people to feel a connection to many types of animals. (Clayton et al, 2009) Credit: Paignton Zoo there is something unique about a zoo setting that promotes an individual s connectedness with nature. (Bruni et al, 2008)

6 Research aim and objectives Aim : To explore the emotional landscape of the zoo experience in contributing to the wildlife conservation mission of the zoo. Objectives: 1. To describe the emotional responses of zoo visitors to the zoo experience. 2. To explore and identify the meaning of these emotional responses on visitors relationships to wildlife and wider nature conservation. 3. To develop an alternative conceptualisation of behaviour change for application within the zoo community.

7 Methodology: Go-along interviews at the zoo Credit: Paignton Zoo Go-alongs intentionally aim at capturing the stream of perceptions, emotions and interpretations that informants usually keep to themselves. (Kusenbach, 2003)

8 Recruitment and participation Recruitment Facebook, Twitter, zoo website, zoo newsletter Participation Members and non-members Local (< 45 min drive) Further afield (> 3 hour drive) Young families, teenage families, retired couples, friendship groups, retired individuals Group size 1-5 people 14 groups in total (41 participants)

9 Early findings I: Rich and varied emotional experience Anger Awe, wonder and appreciation Boredom and indifference Concern, sadness and despair Discomfort Enjoyment, excitement and pleasure Fear and dislike Guilt Love, empathy and connection Conflicting or mixed emotions

10 Factors influencing emotional responses Before the Zoo visit During the Zoo visit Zoo memories and previous encounters Human-animal engagements and cultural references Perceptions of zoos and understanding the work of zoos Expectations and motivations for visit Emotional responses at the zoo (multiple and complex) Animal related factors non-human charisma real-life encounters relatability perceptions of wellbeing Non-animal related factors exhibition design/condition talks, activities, interpretation

11 Early findings II: Building relationships with zoo animals..and beyond I think because we have a familiarity with them, we have an affinity with them now as we see them so frequently, and even though those animals are nicely protected and safe in the zoo, their species, their kin are endangered in the rest of the world. (34 yr female member)

12 Early findings III: Barriers to supporting wildlife conservation Dissonance between caring about and caring for' wildlife: Sense of agency Perception of threats Patterns of everyday life (social norms) Understanding of how to help Care and concern recedes beyond the zoo Care and concern limited to zoo animals

13 Implications for zoo community? Understand the meaning and significance of the emotional dimension of the visitor experience with regard to behaviour change Enhance understanding of the complexity of securing behaviour change at the zoo Reflect more on why and what zoos do in relation to visitor engagement and behaviour change Identify the particular contribution of the zoo setting in facilitating behaviour change

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15 Engaging with the emotional aspects of behaviour change Values and Frames (Crompton, 2010): Encouraging intrinsic values (e.g. needs of the community and nature) over extrinsic values (e.g. self interest, materialism)

16 Initial reflections: Care in captivity but I was disappointed with that, with the zoo, because I thought she was just wandering around on her own Well just think of yourself as being a little old lady, and you re put in with a herd of youngsters that are all charging around you and everything, would you really want that or would you like to have a nice peaceful life just plodding around with a few giraffes to talk to. I think I d go for the giraffes, wouldn t you?

17 Early findings: Corporeality of zoo visit to actually see an animal has got more impact than anything on a picture or a TV screen the closer you can get obviously the more you can appreciate what they feel and what they look like, and the noises that they make it s actually quite nice to see the two lions resting, sleeping they never film that because it s not interesting enough you feel more connected

18 An easier way of thinking about it! Unlike quantitative research, which is about tests and statistics that give you what you need to predict and control phenomena, qualitative research is about finding patterns and themes that help you better understand the phenomenon you re studying. They re equally important approaches but very different. Brown (2010)

19 Qualitative and quantitative research Quantitative Qualitative Purpose Seeks facts/causes Seeks meaning Ontology & epistemology Single & objective reality Positivism Multiple realities & truths Interpretivism Data Using large-scale and representative sets of data Exploring smaller number of cases that provide insights Instrumentation Structured Semistructured/unstructured Analysis Usually numbers, statistical descriptions Usually texts instead of numbers Strengths Weaknesses Generalisation and comparability Difficult to address complex issues, not all phenomena can be quantified Depth, context, flexibility in addressing complex issues Less scope for generalising findings, can be time and resource consuming

20 Rigour in research findings Quantitative Internal validity: Does a conclusion that incorporates a causal relationship b/w 2+ variables hold water? External validity: can the results of the study be generalised beyond the specific research context? Reliability: are the results of the study repeatable? Qualitative Credibility: how believable are the finding? Are you observing/identifying what you say you are? Good practice in research process. Transferability: do the findings apply to other contexts? Quality of theoretical reasoning (rather than statistical criteria) are key in considering the extent to which can generalise from qualitative research findings. Dependability: are the findings likely to apply at other times (and can the approach to research be replicated) (Adapted from: Bryman, 2008)

21 An over-arching framework for research study Elements of approach to behaviour change Epistemology Ontology Methodology Evaluation Zoos current approach to behaviour change: Community-based social marketing Securing pre-determined behaviours from visitors e.g. recycling mobile phones Tends to reinforce/maintain dualist detachment and domination Targeting visitors to secure specified behaviour change e.g. posters, video, talks, pledge cards Quantitative: % or number of visitors undertaking prespecified behaviour Alternative conceptualisation of behaviour change: Environmental citizenship/cultural values led Increasing/securing care, empathy and connection with animals and wider nature Helps to reframe our way of being in relation to nature - more decentred, egalitarian and empathetic Ensuring zoo experience delivers a rich emotional landscape for visitors Qualitative/quantitative: care and connection with animals and wider nature expressed through wide spectrum of behaviours

22 Early findings III: What counts as behaviour change? Checking product labels e.g. Palm Oil Reducing use of plastics Positive connection and attitudes to wildlife Re-igniting interest in wildlife conservation Sharing stories and memories with family and friends Learning more about zoo animals back home

23 Geographers at the zoo Cultural representation and boundary making (Anderson, 1995) Zoos as centres of caring (Braverman, 2013) Real and virtual networks of animal circulation and display (Davies, 2000; Whatmore & Thorne, 1999) Relationality, agency and ethics (Davies, 2000; Lorimer, 2015) Commodification (Lorimer, 2015)