the value of hunting by Sarah Swenty, Public Information Officer
California Waterfowl, in partnership with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation commissioned a survey in order to learn what Californians across the state think of hunting. The goal of this project was to learn not only what they think, but more importantly, to learn what would make them think more positively about hunting in order to create a positive buzz around hunting.
The survey was conducted by Responsive Management, the premier outdoor opinion research company in the nation. They’ve done important surveys for the USFWS, state fish and game agencies across the nation, and other NGOs, including the national NSSF 2008 study that I will be talking more about later. More that 1,000 detailed telephone surveys were conducted statewide, with proportional distribution of age, gender, urban and rural residents.
Knowing where we stand in regards to Californians’ perceptions of hunting is going to help us immeasurably as we work to reach out strategically to hunters and non-hunters alike. As you might expect, California residents fall below national averages in support of legal, regulated hunting but they appear to remain fairly open-minded.
This seems to match closely with my and other “out-there” hunter’s experience. There is a heavy dose of skepticism, but it’s not impenetrable. The respondents indicated a willingness to change their opinions of hunting with better information.
Notice the underlining of legal and regulated – this is because it is essential that we always pair these terms when we talk about hunting. Adding the terms legal and regulated added nearly 20 percent points to the approval rating of the term hunting alone.
Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. Our averages are below the national averages when it comes to supporting hunting. On top of that, many Californian’s don’t think hunters help fund conservation or that hunting helps manage wildlife in a scientific way. Most said they are not at all interested in hunting with an overwhelming number giving the reasons of no time and lack of a place to hunt as the reasons what they aren’t interested in hunting in the next five years.
What can we gather from this and all of the other information we got back? Well, it should come as no surprise to you that California residents don’t really know much about hunting. Californians lack substantial information on the specific ways hunting relates to, depends on, and supports, wildlife management and conservation.
Most people don’t understand the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and how hunting ties into it. This is something that we can promote and create a sense of ownership and pride in our very successful system. A large majority want to know that there are healthy wildlife populations in the state. Promoting the hunter’s connection to that healthy population will go a long way.
The picture isn’t all dark though. An overwhelming number of survey respondents care about having healthy wildlife, while a significant portion said they would be willing to give hunting a try, and a large majority of the population support hunting for meat. The NSSF 2008 Study by RM showed that 97 percent of hunters eat what they kill. This is a number to communicate with others. As I put it to my friends, it might be 97 percent nationwide, but 100 percent of my friends eat their take. It definitely adds to their willingness to see hunting more positively, even if they don’t think they could ever hunt. Only a small minority of those we surveyed strongly opposed hunting.
What are the implications of the results we received and where do we go from here in order to best use this information we received?
The info we received fine tunes what we already knew on a national level and have begun to implement in our outreach efforts. Future communications campaigns will highlight the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, emphasizing that fish and wildlife belong to all of us. They will also show legal, regulated hunting’s tie to scientific wildlife management.
This survey confirmed that we all need to start now, and here’s how:
Choose Your Words Carefully Do: Use Regulated, Legal
Emphasize Safety
Emphasize Health Benefits Don’t: Use the term “Sport”
Use the term “Trophy”
Help Convince the Uneducated
A majority of those surveyed who said they oppose hunting said they would support it if they knew that hunting leads to:
Improved health of overall populations
More food and improved habitat for wildlife
Fewer animals dying of starvation
Like everything in life, who you know matters. Study after study, including this one, show that hunters are the best advocates for hunting. Californians who know hunters support hunting much more than those who don’t. When they are broken out from the rest, the 8 percent who had been out with a hunter supported hunting 10 to 15 percentage points more than those who had never been out with a hunter. Armed with Knowledge, Moving forward with Confidence
Now that we have information on how Californians feel about hunting and what specific issues will improve their support of hunting, we can move forward in the hunt for a better California.
Our members are the best advocates when it comes to saving what we love. Starting in 2007, California Waterfowl has been working hard to encourage our membership to get out and share their passion with others they know through the Web site, eNews, and our magazine. The “Take Your Best Shot” photo contest was designed to create the perfect opportunity for dialogue. The talking points that were on the 2008-09 regs card where written with this information taken into account. Watch for a video that will help you answer the question “Why Hunt?” coming to the website and YouTube soon.
The information that we have from this survey, thanks to our partnership with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the vision of the board, will help us build on a solid foundation. We will use the knowledge we have gained to improve every outreach effort we make, strengthen our web presence, and move forward with purpose and confidence. There is a lot to do, and we will need your support and encouragement as we progress to a more strategic communications strategy that will promote hunting in the state, increase our membership and funding sources, allowing us to do more for ducks in the Pacific Flyway.
It’s time to shake things up! Moving forward, we will be trying new things, updating proven favorites, and getting people talking about California Waterfowl and all the positive things we and hunters are doing for California.
*Results from this study are confidential, but closely mirror the NSSF 2008 national study titled “The Future of Hunting and the Shooting Sports: Research-Based Recruitment and Retention Strategies” and are worth reading. It can be found at www.responsivemanagement.com.
