Attitudes Toward Protecting Pollinators: The Impact of Perceived Physical Attractiveness and Fear of Pollinators

Research understanding how people decide to support animal species facing environmental threats has been lacking. This research investigated how perceived physical attractiveness of two common pollinators – Western honey bees and bald-faced hornets – along with fear, influenced participants’ attitudes toward species protection. Two experiments involved showing photographs of both species to a representative sample from the U.S. The findings from the first study indicated that the honey bee, which was viewed as more physically attractive by humans, garnered greater support for protection compared to the less attractive bald-faced hornet. When considering fear, the honey bee evoked less fear than the bald-faced hornet in humans, which in turn positively impacted support for the species. The results of the second study suggested that physical attractiveness also influenced approach and avoidance behavior, further supporting the findings of the first study. These findings underscore a potential risk for species perceived as unattractive or fear-inducing (in humans), as their lack of support could lead to extinction, adversely affecting humans through consequences like rising costs of pollinator-dependent crops.