Linking Human Destruction of Nature to COVID-19 Increases Support for Wildlife
Conservation Policies
#MMPMID32836837
Shreedhar G
; Mourato S
Environ Resour Econ (Dordr)
2020[]; 76
(4
): 963-999
PMID32836837
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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.
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