Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro Area Residential Bee Lawn Survey, 2022

We surveyed Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) metropolitan region residents who have an interest in pollinators and pollinator habitat (e.g., bee lawns). Potential respondents were recruited from MSP pollinator-friendly email listservs. The survey was open from May 24, 2022 to June 30, 2022, and distributed to 494 individuals. Our final N, accounting for broken email addresses, non-responses, and less than 50% survey completion, is 256. The survey contains six categories of questions along with a set of panel data. Question categories include: home, yard, and lawn characteristics and observations; lawn care responsibilities and opinions; bee and bee lawn knowledge and opinions; formal and informal rules shaping lawn decisions; and lawn information sources, trust, authority, and advocacy. Survey respondents were primarily white, older, wealthy, and well-educated women. Our findings show that values influencing lawn management are primarily environmentally focused (e.g., pollinators, climate) rather than aesthetically focused (e.g., increases property values, fits neighborhood look). Generally, individuals reported that there are no—or they are unsure-- whether there are formal (e.g., ordinances), and informal (e.g., neighbor expectations) rules about lawn management. Respondents overwhelmingly report that University of Minnesota Extension is a highly trusted source of lawn management information. Finally, the majority of respondents promote or encourage alternative lawn management practices (e.g., bee lawns, pollinator gardens), primarily through informal activities (e.g., block parties, word of mouth).