Wolves are back: Sociopolitical identity and opinions on management of Canis lupus

Abstract

Gray wolves (Canis lupus) were eliminated from the state of Oregon in the middle of the 20th century. By the early 21st century, wolves had returned to the northeast corner of the state, dispersing from populations reintroduced in Idaho and Wyoming. On a series of random-sample telephone surveys (2011–2018), we asked more than 3,000 northeast Oregon residents about their preferences concerning wolf management strategies. One-third of the respondents said that wolves should be eliminated from this region. Sociopolitical identity dominated other individual characteristics including age, education, years resident, and forestland ownership in predicting wolf-management views. Political effects appear even stronger when our indicator distinguishes the most conservative, and further intensify when most of the respondent's friends belong to the same party. This strong influence of sociopolitical identity echoes findings from the broader literature on environmental concern, but adds a new and policy-relevant element to wolf-attitude research. As wolves expand throughout the west, and new states consider reintroduction, state and federal wildlife managers face deeply rooted opposition. Managers must consider a range of strategies to manage wolves while working with community leaders in wolf-occupied areas to determine management options.