Original title: Conservation Messages as Catalysts of Post-Visit Action: Insights from Zoo and Aquarium Visitors
The researchers asked 768 visitors what conservation messages prompted them to act after visiting a zoo or aquarium. They found eight features people linked to adopting new environmental behaviors or doing more of what they already did. The four most often mentioned raised awareness, made people want to help, stirred personal responsibility, or gave clear steps to take. This points to using several kinds of messages together.
Imagine leaving a shop with a long list of things you could do at home. You may care about the task but still not act if you do not see why it matters, feel it is partly your job, or know the next step. In this paper, conservation messages play that role: visitors said awareness, a wish to help, personal responsibility, and clear instructions helped prompt action after their visit.
Zoos and aquariums want visits to lead to environmental action, not just awareness. The findings suggest that clear steps, personal responsibility, and a desire to help may all matter when visitors decide to act after leaving.
The abstract reports visitors' reflections about messages they felt prompted action; it does not establish that the messages caused behavior change. It does not describe how long any changes lasted or provide details about the eight features beyond the four most cited. The findings come from visitors at twelve zoos and aquariums in three countries.
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Conservation Messages as Catalysts of Post-Visit Action: Insights from Zoo and Aquarium Visitors — Karen Hughes, Jan Packer, Mucha Mkono et al. — Visitor Studies — doi:10.1080/10645578.2026.2731534
Abstract licence: CC BY
Explanation generated by Synthesis from the abstract — it is not the original paper.