Implications of teenagers' attitudes toward maned wolf conservation in Brazil

The relationships between people and wild canids are a widespread concern for the conservation of species and habitats. The maned wolf Chrysocyon brachyurus is a Near Threatened species inhabiting South America. Strategies to conserve this keystone species may benefit the also-declining Cerrado biome. The attitudes of teenagers toward wild carnivores are also of worldwide interest as these youth are the future decision makers. We investigated selected attitudes, beliefs and knowledge in relation to the maned wolf of two age groups (12-13 and 16-17), using questionnaires delivered in three urban areas of the São Paulo state, a region highly populated and rich in biodiversity and endemism. Responses were analysed according to age groups, gender, location and experiences concerning the maned wolf. Results suggest that positive attitudes declined with age; gender has very little effect on attitudes; seeing the maned wolf in nature and zoos may increase support for the conservation and may facilitate learning about the species, while identification with some maned wolf attributes amongst older teens in the most urbanised areas may foster sympathy toward the species. Conservation strategies and environmental education can help to provide early positive experiences of contact with the maned wolf and the Cerrado, especially if they are tailored to address the variation we found in attitudes between different age groups. Research report Implications of teenagers' attitudes toward maned wolf conservation in Brazil. Available from

Seeing is believing: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of the experiences of the ‘spiritual but not religious’ in Britain

A majority of the British population now consider themselves not religious, but many of these individuals still have some beliefs they consider spiritual. This study explores the connections between the beliefs and practices of five British participants who identified as ‘spiritual but not religious’ (SBNR). Semi-structured interviews with each participant were analyzed inductively using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). This analysis developed seven sub-themes that were organized into two superordinate themes: ‘Experiencing Transcendence’ and ‘Constructing a Personal Spirituality’. The participants’ spirituality was an important part of their identities and lives. They pragmatically and eclectically drew on a wide range of spiritual tools and resources to enrich their lives. In a complex world where they considered traditional sources of religious or spiritual authority untrustworthy, the participants developed their own answers to existential questions that resonated with their own experiences of the world. Both their personal experiences and sociocultural influences were important in shaping and sustaining the participants’ worldviews and practices. These idiosyncratic ways that individuals made sense of their experiences show why it is important the research tools used to study worldview dynamics are sensitive to a wide range of factors and the iterative interactions between them

‘I believe in something; I don’t know what it is’: an exploration of five British Hindus’ worldviews using interpretative phenomenological analysis

Previous research has suggested individuals can draw on resources from a diverserange of existential cultures when constructing their personal worldviews. However, the ways individuals’ beliefs and worldviews are acquired and develop is still onlypartially understood. This study investigates these processes of worldview dynamicsby exploring the beliefs and practices of five British Hindus. Semi-structured interviews with each participant were inductively analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). This analysis developed six sub-themes which formed two superordinate themes: ‘Everybody has their own way’ and ‘Focusing on this world’. The analysis shows the complexity of many individuals’ worldviews and demonstrates how individuals can live in a hinterland between religiosity and non-religiosity. For these participants, existential beliefs were idiosyncratic and deeply personal. They rejected some aspects of their cultural heritage while retaining others. The participants were comfortable with uncertainty about such matters and were highly tolerant of divergent beliefs. Understanding how these participants made sense of their world increases our understanding of both worldview dynamics and the forms that secularity can take in modern Britain. This shows why more nuanced understandings of ‘belief’ are necessary to explore the complexity of people’s lived experiences

Attitudes towards the maned wolf amongst adolescents in the southeast of Brazil

The relationships between people and carnivores are a worldwide concern for the conservation of species and habitats. The maned wolf is an endangered, endemic canid inhabiting the southeast of Brazil - highly populated and rich in biodiversity and endemism. Strategies to conserve this key stone species may benefit the also declining Cerrado biome. The attitudes of teenagers towards wild carnivores are also of worldwide interest as future citizens and future decision makers. The present study investigates the attitudes of two age groups (12-13 and 16-17) towards the maned wolf. Questionnaires aimed to identify selected attitudes, beliefs and knowledge in relation to the maned wolf in urban areas of three locations in the São Paulo state. Responses were analysed according to age groups, gender, location and experiences concerning the maned wolf. Results suggest that positive attitudes declined with age; gender have very little effect on attitudes; zoos, as well as seeing the maned wolf in nature may increase support for the conservation of the species amongst the younger group; while identification with some maned wolf attributes amongst older teens may foster intentions to help the species. Conservation strategies and environmental education can help to provide early positive experiences of contact with the maned wolf and the Cerrado and be tailored to address attitudes in different age groups. This study can inform the planning of effective environmental educational strategies to foster long term support for the conservation of the maned wolf and the Cerrado

Living in a world with God: An interpretative phenomenological exploration of the religious experiences of five Baptists in Britain

Religious and spiritual experiences often form significant elements of people’s narratives about their faith and lives, but the impact of these experiences is often neglected in academic studies. This study investigated the connections between perceived experiences of God and beliefs in the lives of five members of a Baptist church in Britain, using data from semi-structured interviews. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to explore the data and develop eleven recurrent sub-themes, organized into two superordinate themes: ‘Knowing God’ and ‘Living in the World.’ There were idiosyncratic differences between the experiences of the participants, but they all perceived God communicating with them and attributed certain events to God’s influence. These experiences developed real and meaningful relationships with God, and the participants’ faith affected every aspect of their lives, shaping their actions, beliefs and daily lived experiences. The participants’ diverse experiences and beliefs created mutually supporting meaning systems (or worldviews) that were much stronger than the individual elements that contributed to them. God was an intrinsic part of the participants’ social reality, and their lived experiences cannot be adequately understood without appreciating the influence of this central aspect of their lives. These findings show the importance of taking a holistic and idiographic perspective when studying religiosity and spirituality. The study also demonstrates IPA is a useful and effective tool for studying lived experiences of religiosity and spirituality and supports its broader use to investigate such phenomena

Sustainability in the workplace and the theory of planned behaviour: Norms and identity predict environmentally friendly intentions

Social psychology offers an insightful perspective on the psychological processes underlying sustainability-related intentions and actions, at universities and elsewhere. Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour (TPB) is a well-supported model, positing that attitudes alone will rarely predict intentions and behaviour accurately. Rather, individuals are sensitive to social norms (the perceived requirements of a setting and/or a group to which the actor belongs) and perceived control (the sense that the actor is capable of the behaviour and the environment offers the opportunity). Recently, it has been suggested to include self-identity (the notion that the behaviour is part of who you are). This paper summarises previous research linking the TPB to sustainability, and then reports a quantitative survey of 130 staff members at Canterbury Christ Church University. An online questionnaire measured attitudes, social norms, perceived control, self-identity, and intentions relating to office waste recycling, energy saving, and transport choice. Overall, only self-identity and norms reliably predicted intentions to act in environmentally sustainable ways. Follow-up analyses suggest that different predictors were significant for different intentions, but self-identity always improved prediction over and above the original TPB variables. In conclusion, universities can best cultivate sustainability intentions by promoting favourable norms and self-identities

The theory of planned behaviour, self-identity, and moral disengagement: what predicts sustainability at work?

Objectives: On the occasion of the Green Impact sustainability initiative at our university, we sought to identify predictors of sustainability-related behaviours (recycling, energy saving and sustainable transport choices) among staff. Design: A quantitative on-line survey was conducted among university staff. In line with the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), we measured intentions (to recycle, to save energy, and to choose sustainable transport), attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived control. Self-identity was added as a popular extension to the TPB. Additionally, we took one of the first measurements of moral disengagement in a sustainability-related study. Methods: All staff participating in the initiative were contacted, 130 responses were received. Correlational methods were used to analyse the survey data. Results: The TPB was broadly supported; however, perceived control was not significant in predicting recycling intentions, subjective norm did not contribute to the prediction of energy saving intentions, and attitude did not predict transport intentions. Self-identity, conversely, made a substantial additional contribution for all target behaviours. The moral disengagement measures were all correlated with sustainability intentions, but there were multicollinearity issues with the TPB variables and between sub-scales. Conclusions: The TPB is useful in predicting workplace sustainability intentions, but different predictors apply to different behaviours. Moral disengagement is another useful explanatory concept, but difficult to incorporate in the TPB. The consistently significant contribution of self-identity suggests that sustainability at work can be promoted by making staff feel like sustainability champions

The role of zoos in attitudes towards biodiversity and the reintroduction of native wild carnivores to the UK: results from a pilot study

This paper presents preliminary findings from a pilot study involving focus groups and semi-structured interviews with members of the public at three locations in Kent, UK. The pilot study aims to inform a large scale baseline survey of attitudes, beliefs and values towards biodiversity, the focus species (lynx and Pine Marten) and their conservation and reintroduction in the UK

The essence of nationhood: how ordinary people make sense of nationality, and how essentialist beliefs create acculturative problems

Objectives: Two studies (one qualitative, one quantitative) introduce new conceptual and methodological angles on national identity. Design and Methods: The qualitative study used a focus group approach in order to examine how nationality operates as an individual as well as collective experience. British, German and French volunteers talked about their national identities in six nationally homogeneous groups (3-6 participants each) and in their native language. The quantitative study asked a British opportunity sample (N = 90) to complete an online questionnaire on the relationship between acculturation attitudes, national essentialism, and rejection of immigrants. Results: The qualitative study shows how conversations between ordinary nationals can serve as a valuable method for researchers to understand the everyday meanings and feelings involved in national identity. People individually made sense of their nationality and their affective relationship with it; but they did so with reference to shared experience of how it feels to belong to a particular nation. We argue that this allows insights into the individual and systemic levels of national identity and productively joins discursive notions with a phenomenological approach. Meanwhile, the quantitative study brings together ideas from the literature on acculturation, essentialism and prejudice in showing that essentialist beliefs relate to feelings of cultural adaptation among immigrants being at once highly desirable and extremely difficult. This discrepancy, in turn, was associated with rejection of immigrants. Conclusions: Our work adds new conceptual and methodological perspectives to a genuinely social-psychological analysis of complex national identities, to complement less empirically based, interdisciplinary accounts