Public Attitudes Toward Urban Arthropods

Abstract

To better understand the public's attitude toward arthropods, a telephone survey was conducted of 1,117 households in Arizona. Only a small percentage (6.0%) took pleasure from arthropods encountered outside the home, whereas fewer still (<1.0%) enjoyed those found inside the home. Conversely, over half of those interviewed said they either disliked or were afraid of outdoor arthropods, and 88% were either afraid of or disliked indoor arthropods. Attitudes toward indoor and outdoor arthropods were separately dependent (P < 0.05) upon sex, level of education, residence in a metropolitan area, and whether or not the respondents owned or rented the home in which they lived. Attitudes toward outdoor arthropods were separately dependent upon age and family income. A multivariate analysis indicated these variables were independent of one another in respondent relations toward arthropods. When asked to rate certain animals relative to one another, we found that respondents readily discriminate between desirable and undesirable arthropods. The gathering of precise information concerning public attitudes is thought to be a critical step in the implementation of any urban pest management program. The information can be used to identify societal groups that are most receptive to educational programs concerning urban pest biology and most willing to participate in urban pest management programs.