Attitudes towards hunting amongst the economically active public in Port Elizabeth

Wildlife ranching is recognized as one of the important agricultural industries in South Africa, with hunting being the primary segment of the game industry. Hunting is an essential part of wildlife management and it contributes significantly to the conservation of biodiversity and to the economy. Despite this, the social acceptability of hunting is often questioned and negative attitudes towards hunting within the larger society may become a potential threat to the hunting industry. This may jeopardize the effective management of game and have a negative impact on conservation and the economy. This study is an empirical investigation of the attitudes of the economically active public in Port Elizabeth towards hunting. The objectives of this study are to investigate the nature and extent of the public's attitudes towards hunting, as well as to identify factors influencing the public's attitudes towards hunting. The study commenced with the establishment of a theoretical framework, based on a literature study on the psychology of human perceptions and attitudes towards hunting. The theoretical framework was then used to develop the empirical component of the study. A survey was conducted amongst a statistically representative sample of the economically active public in Port Elizabeth during 2009. The data was collected by means of personal interviews and self-administered questionnaires were used as the survey instrument. The study found that the economically active public in Port Elizabeth generally holds favourable attitudes towards hunting, with only a small proportion of the population wanting to ban hunting. The belief that hunting endangers wildlife was the most prominent reason for opposing hunting. Negative attitudes towards hunting were largely based on incorrect beliefs regarding hunting. The extent of a person's knowledge of hunting and exposure to hunting, as well as a person's social ties had a significant influence on their attitudes towards hunting