The Citizens in Citizen Science: Demographic, Socioeconomic, and Health Characteristics of Biodiversity Recorders in Ireland

Ciarán Mac Domhnaill,Anne Nolan,Seán Lyons

doi:10.5334/cstp.283

Abstract

Citizen science allows members of the public to engage with scientific inquiry, and is increasingly being employed to monitor environmental change. Some previous research explores the demographic characteristics of participants in environmental citizen science projects. Design of recruitment campaigns and selection of activities for citizen science projects could benefit from a better understanding of participants’ demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, as well as participants’ health, their well-being status, and their level of physical activity. In addition, this type of information can provide a baseline for examining effects of engaging in citizen science on participants’ health and well-being in later research. This paper reports results from a survey of a group of environmental citizen scientists engaged in observation and monitoring activities who have recently registered as biodiversity data recorders in Ireland. The survey employs questions drawn from existing large-scale socioeconomic surveys in Ireland, so the characteristics of biodiversity recorders can be compared with those of the wider population. Differences in proportions are tested for statistical significance, and Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition methods are applied to strip out compositional differences when comparing health status and physical activity. Results show that biodiversity recorders are more highly educated, more middle-aged, more rural, better-off, and more active in the labour force than the general population. They are deeply concerned about threats from the decline or extinction of species and ecosystems, they classify environmental protection as very important, and they believe that individuals have a role to play in protecting the environment. Biodiversity recorders are more physically active than the wider population, and mixed results are found for generalised health and mental health status.

Highlights

Citizen science allows members of the public to engage with scientific inquiry, and is increasingly being employed to address environmental change and conservation issues (Turrini et al 2018; Johnson et al 2014)
While the mean age of biodiversity recorders is significantly higher than that of the population,4 more biodiversity recorders fall into the 45–64 age range with fewer recorders in all other age categories, indicating a more middle-aged sample
Using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) to measure physical activity, we find our sample of biodiversity recorders to be considerably more physically active than the broader population, with our sample reporting higher mean metabolic equivalent (MET) minutes across all categories of physical activity

Summary

Introduction

Environmental citizen science can help to generate new knowledge, to raise awareness, and to enable civic participation in conservation (Turrini et al 2018). Past research explores the effect of citizen science on participants, including on the scientific knowledge and attitudes of participants (Price and Lee 2013; Crall et al 2013; Pandya 2012; Raddick et al 2009; Brossard, Lewenstein, and Bonney 2005; Overdevest, Huyck Orr, and Stepenuck 2004). Barriers to participation for groups that are traditionally underrepresented in citizen science are considered in the literature to be the money or time associated with volunteering; a perception that volunteering necessarily involves physical activity; a lack of access to natural settings among urban dwellers; a lack of familiarity with

Methods

Results

Conclusion