Messaging Frames Affect Support for Invasive Species Management

Species invasion is a costly and complex problem affecting ecosystems worldwide. Despite the problems associated with the presence of invasive species, managers can face significant opposition that can delay or even prevent... [ view full abstract ]

Species invasion is a costly and complex problem affecting ecosystems worldwide. Despite the problems associated with the presence of invasive species, managers can face significant opposition that can delay or even prevent implementation of management plans. To help reduce these types of obstructions and increase support for invasive species projects, managers should improve communications regarding the actions they plan to take and the goals they will achieve. These communications often contain both an attribute frame regarding the ecological or economic impacts associated with individual species and an outcome frame detailing the losses associated with the presence of the species or the benefits of removing the species. In this study, we used an online panel survey of Californians (N=1077) to explore how attribute frames (economic or ecological) and outcome frames (gain or loss) can affect public support for invasive species management. The sample was gathered using Qualtrics using quota sampling to ensure a representative sample of the state. The treatment followed a two by two factorial format (ecological vs. economic x gain vs. loss) with individuals receiving one of the four treatments or the control condition. Despite prevailing rhetoric regarding the need to highlight economic benefits of such projects, we find that ecological messages increase support for invasive species management significantly more than economic frames. We also find that people are more responsive to project goals when framed as preventing further losses, such as native habitat destruction, than when framed as offering potential gains, such as increasing native habitat. Further, responses to treatments differed significantly based on covariates such as political party identification, overall environmental concern, and prioritization of animal rights. Together, these results suggest that messages about invasive species policies that communicate the ecological losses associated with invasive species presence may result in more support for management policies, and that messages are most effective if they can be targeted to specific groups of people. Our findings will help both managers and policy makers to improve messaging to increase support for and reduce opposition to invasive species management projects.