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Abstract
This paper presents an examination of trust in the Forest Service to manage threatened and endangered species as measured through a survey of residents of four Southwestern States. Of particular interest were variations by ethnic/racial group, gender, concern about threatened and endangered species, and self-assessed knowledge. Increasing diversity in the United States makes explorations of trust in natural resource managing agencies especially important to understand. Expected trust levels among groups of color compared to Whites was not especially clear to us. Some very convincing arguments in natural resource management literature suggesting distrust should be expected among groups of color, while an expectation of higher trust among groups of color also finds strong support. A marginally lower level was found among people who engaged in more frequent outdoor recreation, and who visited national forests more often. Time in the United States was associated with lower trust levels among our non-U.S. born respondents. However, the most influential variables among those we considered were gender, ethnic/racial group, concern, knowledge, and perceived similarity of values to the Forest Service (the most significant of those examined). Findings suggest additional research is needed to fully illuminate the complexities of trust in our diverse society, as implications for natural resource management spill over into communication and collaboration efforts.
Parent Publication
Citation
Winter, Patricia L.; Cvetkovich, George T. 2008. Southwesterners’ views of threatened and endangered species management: does ethnic/racial diversity make a difference? In: Chavez, Deborah J.; Winter, Patricia L.; Absher, James D., eds. Recreation visitor research: studies of diversity. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-210. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. 97-111. Chapter 9.
