Work

Estimating temporal (2019–2025) and regional effects on Minnesotans' attitudes toward wolf hunting

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Public attitudes toward wolf hunting are important for developing socially responsive wolf management policy. Drawing on two representative surveys of state residents, this study examined change in Minnesotans' (USA) support for wolf hunting in 2019 and 2025. We found that slight opposition to hunting at the state level remained stable between these years. For the year 2025 we compared support for wolf hunting among residents of a large metropolitan area and residents of non-metropolitan areas both inside and outside of wolf range. There was, on average, slight opposition to wolf hunting among residents in the large metropolitan area, and slight support for wolf hunting in non-metropolitan areas. Similar levels of support among non-metropolitan residents inside and outside wolf range suggest that urban-rural differences may matter more than direct proximity to wolves in shaping attitudes toward wolf hunting.

Source: Biological Conservation

DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2026.112109

Authors: Afton Clarke-Sather, Adam C. Landon, Roger Faust, Kathryn Haglin, Shanell Lovelace, David C. Fulton

Institutions: University of Minnesota, Duluth, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Carleton College, United States Geological Survey

Language: English

Topic: Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Subfield: Ecology

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,830

Funders: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, University of Minnesota, U.S. Geological Survey, Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota