Data_Sheet_1_Public Perceptions of Deer Management in Scotland.PDF

In Scotland, large deer populations are associated with negative ecological and socioeconomic impacts, such as damage to peatlands and forests, agricultural and commercial forestry losses, Lyme disease transmission, and road accidents. Increasing the annual deer cull might help address these negative impacts, but could be ethically controversial. A stratified sample of adults living in Scotland (n = 1,002) responded to our online questionnaire measuring perceptions of deer management, including the acceptability of increasing the deer cull if doing so would help achieve a variety of ecological and social objectives. Overall, respondents indicated that it would be acceptable to increase the deer cull if doing so would serve public interests by reducing negative impacts of deer, with deer welfare, environmental conservation, and public health and safety being the most relevant ethical considerations. Although rural and urban respondents reported significantly different experiences and perceptions of deer, their values (i.e., attitudes, beliefs, and policy preferences) regarding deer management were very similar. Understanding values of the general public, beyond vocal interest groups, can help inform decisions on contentious wildlife management issues.

在苏格兰，鹿群规模过大与一系列负面生态及社会经济影响密切相关，具体包括破坏泥炭地与森林、造成农业与商业林业损失、传播莱姆病（Lyme disease）以及引发道路交通事故。提升年度鹿群捕杀量（deer cull）或许能够缓解上述负面影响，但此举可能引发伦理层面的争议。本研究针对苏格兰成年群体开展分层抽样（stratified sample），共回收有效线上调查问卷1002份（n=1,002）。问卷用于调研民众对鹿群管理的认知，其中涵盖了当提升鹿群捕杀量有助于实现多项生态与社会目标时，民众对该举措的接受度。总体而言，受访者认为，若提升鹿群捕杀量能够通过减轻鹿群带来的负面影响以维护公共利益，则该举措具备可接受性；其中鹿群福利、环境保护以及公共卫生与安全是最受重视的伦理考量维度。尽管城乡受访者在鹿群相关经历与认知上存在显著差异，但他们在鹿群管理方面的价值取向（即态度、信念与政策偏好）高度趋同。相较于积极发声的利益群体，深入了解普通大众的价值取向，能够为颇具争议的野生动物管理议题提供决策参考依据。