Visiting zoos: A survey of zoo member households

A survey sent to 1000 zoo-member households (500 for the Bristol Zoo, and 500 for the Paignton Zoo). The aim of the survey was to contextualize the qualitative research with a broader survey of zoo visitor attitudes with respect to the social construction of naturalism in so-called ‘new zoos’. One of the distinguishing features of ‘new zoos’ is their emphasis on ‘naturalistic’ displays. The survey allowed the project to investigate frequent zoo visitor preferences with respect to different forms and aspects of naturalism in zoo displays.

<p>The New Zoos project investigated the remodelling of science and environmental communication in zoos. The research took the form of an exploratory case study at the Bristol Zoo Gardens and the Paignton Zoo Environmental Park. The analysis combined qualitative (semiotic, ethnographic) and quantitative methods (postal survey). It focused on the manner in which visitors observed and attended to zoo displays as these processes related to three aspects: (1) the characteristic forms of display found in the two participating zoos; (2) the ‘mediazation’ of modern culture, or the growing role of industries of mass communication in producing, circulating, and more generally mediating a variety of symbolic forms; (3) and finally, family visiting practices in the context of leisure pursuits.

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