Beyond biophobia: positive appraisal of bats among German residents during the COVID-19 pandemic - with consequences for conservation intentions

Journal article

Bats are often considered to be objects of biophobia, i.e., the tendency to respond with a negative emotion, such as fear or disgust, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, existing studies have rarely compared both positive and negative emotions towards bats, leading to a potential negativity bias. This is crucial given the importance of emotions to bat-related human behaviours, such as in bat conservation-related actions. Via two online surveys conducted among German residents, w...

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Authors: Straka, TM; Coleman, JL; Macdonald, EA; Rogge, S; Kingston, T

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Springer
• Journal: Biodiversity and Conservation
• Volume: 33
• Issue: 8-9
• Pages: 2549-2565
• Publication date: 2024-05-25
• Acceptance date: 2024-05-09
• DOI: 10.1007/s10531-024-02872-3
• EISSN: 1572-9710
• ISSN: 0960-3115
• Language: English
• Keywords: Chiroptera; Conservation Social Science; Emotional shift; Biodiversity Conservation; Disgust; Fear