Developing a Method to Assess Attitudes Toward Snakes

In this paper, researchers from Jacksonville State University discuss research related to educational efforts to increase the public's commitment toward conservation of animal species complicated by negative attitudes toward some of these species, such as snakes. The researchers report methodology and findings from their study that developed a device to assess attitudes toward snakes. The study had the following three purposes: (1) to validate a survey device the researchers developed that may prove useful in the evaluation of educational programs geared toward snakes and similar species; (2) to determine how young adults perceive snakes in terms of beliefs, feelings, and behavioral tendencies; and (3) to assess the impact of a live snake demonstration on the beliefs, feelings and behavioral tendencies of young adults.