public perceptions of wildness
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Public Perceptions of Wildness. Attitudinal Research Study for SNH & Scotland’s 2 National Parks. Dr David Connolly | 2 May 2012. Overview. Study Background Aims and Objectives Methodology Survey Overview. Study Background. Wildness Attributes. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Public Perceptions of Wildness
Attitudinal Research Study for SNH & Scotland’s 2 National Parks
Dr David Connolly | 2 May 2012
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Overview
Study Background
Aims and Objectives
Methodology
Survey Overview
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Study Background
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Wildness Attributes
4 attributes identified by previous wildness research:
perceived naturalness of land cover
modern human artefacts
ruggedness/terrain
remoteness
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
2008 Research
Previous public perception survey of Wild Places and Landscapes in 2008
Identified and ranked various contributing attributes
2011-2012 survey designed to build upon this
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
2011-2012 Study
Funded by:Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park
Authority (LLTNPA)Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA)Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH)
Steering Group included:The 3 funding organisationsSteve Carver from Leeds University, Wildness
Mapping Team
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Aims and Objectives
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Aims and Objectives
Overall project aim: To provide quantitative data on the public’s perceptions of
wildness, wild land and perceived naturalness of land cover in Scotland
Project objectives: Identify what people understand to be ‘wild land’ Identify which elements of the landscape and the land-
cover people consider to be natural or wild land and which they consider to be less wild/not wild
Identify the impact of human artefacts in the landscape (eg wind turbines, hill tracks, etc)
To provide user-valuation parameters to inform wildness mapping work.
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Scope
Provided weights for the four attribute layers for the wildness model
Market segmentation of results (eg by gender, age, and geographic location)
Weights and parameters provided for sub-levels within the 4 attributes.
Eg, do roads, tracks and railways have a greater/lesser impact on perceptions of wildness than plantation forests, or energy infrastructure such as wind turbines, pylons and dams etc
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Methodology
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Three Separate Surveys
Online panel >1000 respondents Representative of Scottish population
National Park Residents Surveys Interviewer administered (‘face-to-face’) Same questionnaire used as online (using showcards) >100 residents per Park
Targeted invitations to various organisations (eg John Muir Trust, Mountaineering Council of Scotland etc)
Same as the main on-line version >650 responses
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Questionnaire Design
Design uses ‘best/worst’ model Each user asked to complete 5 ranking exercises Each ranking exercise requires comparison of 5 examples
of a wild area or landscape Photos used to illustrate each example For each exercise respondents are asked to identify:
‘Most Wild’ example ‘Least Wild’ example Second ‘Most Wild’ example Second ‘Least Wild’ example
Easier to complete than simply asking users to rank all five examples
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Photo Selection
Single issue images selected 4/5 images per element Extreme weather conditions excluded Similar depth of field/proximity to relevant feature
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Questionnaire Overview
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Questionnaire Overview
Several questions to determine extent of interest and use of outdoors and wild areas- included estimates of frequency of visiting
the National Parks (for non-residents) Introduction of the 4 attributes and an
opportunity to identify others 5 best/worse ranking exercisesViews on need to preserve wild areas in
Scotland and actions that should be employedBasic demographics (gender, age, employment
status and postcode)
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
The Attributes
Respondents were presented with a series of descriptions and pictures of
attributes which might affect their perception of wildness in Scotland
These were grouped into the four categories identified by previous research:
perceived naturalness (sub-divided into ‘flora’ and ‘fauna’)
man-made structures and features
remoteness from roads and railway stations
terrain
‘Whats that?’ pop-up information was available for each category
Respondents asked to select which descriptions are ‘most wild’ and ‘least wild’.
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Perceived Naturalness of the Land Cover
The sub-attributes were:
Natural broadleaf or coniferous woodland, heath or moor
Semi-natural woodland
Planted woodland with semi-natural grassland
Evidence of farming
Heavily managed (parks, gardens, intensive grazing)
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Wildlife
The sub-attributes were:
Native wildlife may be present (eg red deer, eagles,
red squirrel, wild cat and/or pine marten)
Domestic livestock may be present (eg cattle and
sheep)
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Man-made structures and objects
The sub-attributes were:
No visible man-made features
Long line features (eg roads, railways and/or vehicle tracks)
Plantation forests
Older structures such as deserted cottages, castles, walls etc
Modern built structures such as homes, farms, quarries
Muirburn (ie moorland actively managed by burning)
Physical evidence of recreation (eg skiing, hiking paths, shooting)
Energy infrastructure (pylons, wind farms, dams)
Transport features such as roads and tracks for vehicles
Built-up areas (villages or small towns)
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Remoteness
Described as the time it would take for a typical
able-bodied adult to walk to this point from the
nearest public road or railway station:
1-hour walk
2-hour walk
….
4-hour walk
5-hour walk
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Terrain
This covered the general appearance of an area
and how difficult it is to move around, including
various combinations of:
height above sea level
presence of features such as cliffs and lochs
steepness/gradient
how easy it is to move around the area
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Scenario 1
A 1 No visible man-made features
B 2Area heavily managed, made up of parks and
gardens, and/or intensive stock grazing
C 3 1 hour from the nearest road or railway station
D 4
Landscape has one or two noticable features (such as lochs), but is generally of low altitude and is easy
to move around
E 5Native wildlife may be present in landscape, eg red
deer, eagle, red squirrel, wild cat, pine marten
Most likely to increase sense of wildness
Best/Worst Scenario: An example‘Most Wild’
If you think that description D is the
‘most wild’ then tick the box to the left
Which of these descriptions is most likely to increase your sense of wildness?
Q11
Landscape has one or two noticeable features (such as
lochs), but is generally of low altitude and is easy to move
around
Landscape has one or two noticeable features (such as
lochs), but is generally of low altitude and is easy to move
around
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Scenario 1
No visible man-made features 1 A
Area heavily managed, made up of parks and gardens, and/or intensive stock grazing 2 B
1 hour from the nearest road or railway station 3 C
Landscape has one or two noticable features (such as lochs), but is generally of low altitude and is easy
to move around 4 D
Native wildlife may be present in landscape, eg red deer, eagle, red squirrel, wild cat, pine marten 5 E
Least likely to increase sense of wildness
Best/Worst Scenario: An example ‘Least Wild’
Q12 And which is least likely to increase your sense of wildness?
If you think that description B is the
‘least wild’ then tick the box to the right
Area heavily managed, made up of parks and gardens and
intensive stock grazing
Area heavily managed, made up of parks and gardens and
intensive stock grazing
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Analysis
Wildness scores calculated for each attribute for each of the three samples
On-line Panel National Park Residents Organisation members
Additional segmentation by Gender Age Urban/rural
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Results
The Final Report is currently with the Steering Group for approval
Likely to appear on relevant web-sites in due course
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Questions
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Contact us
Name: David ConnollyTelephone number: 0131 240 8904Email: [email protected]
Office address:MVA ConsultancyProspect House5 Thistle StreetEdinburghEH2 1DF
Public Perceptions of Wildness | 5/12/2011
Document Control SheetProject Title: NESAC
MVA Project Number: C59800/16
Document Type: Presentation
Directory & file name: D:\ScotStat\NESAC\20120425 Public Perception of Wildness V1.ppt
Document ApprovalPrimary Author: David Connolly
Other Author(s):
Reviewer(s): Elaine Wilson Smith
Formatted by: David Connolly
DistributionIssue Date Distribution Comments
1 25/04/2012 Draft for SNH Review
2 02/05/2011 NESAC