CAREER: The Application of Strategic Anthropomorphism to Activate Empathy and Advance Conservation

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Biodiversity loss negatively impacts economic, political, and social life, making it critical to identify ways to encourage conservation behaviors. This CAREER project investigates the use of animal imagery to activate empathy, promote conservation behaviors, and engage diverse populations. This study focuses on the effect of imagery that highlights animals’ human qualities, known as strategic anthropomorphic animal imagery (SAAIs). The results from a series of online and in person survey experiments, observation, and focus groups give zoos, aquariums, and other conservation organizations essential information about how to depict animals to activate empathy and promote conservation efforts. The project also assesses who feels included and excluded in conservation efforts and how imagery can be used to promote greater access and inclusion. The study involves both academic research and public educational activities that include talks, trainings, and workshops for students, academics, artists, and industry professionals on best practices for using animal imagery to advance conservation. The research draws from collaborations with an internationally recognized conservation photographer and with the Advancing Conservation Through Empathy for Wildlife Network (ACE), which is a network of 20 zoos and aquariums. Because they are the largest and most public-facing conservation organizations, zoos and aquariums from the ACE network serve as the research sites for the in-person components of the study. The first phase of the study involves collecting data from 17,400 participants through six survey-experiments with the goal of identifying the image and text that most effectively activate empathy and enhance conservation. Insights from Phase 1 will be used in Phase 2 for in-person experiments where zoo and aquarium signage is changed and data are collected through participant observation and surveys of at least 2,400 patrons. This phase also involves a longitudinal component assessing whether initial empathy and conservation enhancements persist over time. Phase 3 involves conducting a nationally representative survey (n=1,200) to assess the degree to which members of the public feel included in conservation efforts. This information is used to inform focus groups to assess how strategic anthropomorphic animal imagery (SAAIs) might be used to promote greater access and inclusion in conservation. Desired outcomes of this project are to generate scientific data to inform conservation work, to identify depictions and frames of animals that activate empathy, and to broaden perceptions of inclusion within conservation organizations. The project aims to address biodiversity loss, which has implications for national security, food security, disease control, and climate change mitigation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.