Complexity characterises young people’s attitudes to lynx and wolf reintroductions in the UK and Ireland

Potential lynx and wolf reintroductions to the UK and Ireland are socially complex and contested. While a growing number of studies have considered adult attitudes to these proposals, especially lynx, none have considered the perspectives of young people. Data on attitudes to lynx, wolves and their potential reintroductions to the UK and Ireland were gathered from 2,129 16-year-olds and 4,191 10/11-year-olds in Northern Ireland. Across both samples, there were higher levels of support for lynx than for wolf reintroductions, measured via five-point Likert scales. However, ‘don’t know’ responses were higher for lynx than for wolves. Furthermore, ‘neither agree nor disagree’ was the highest scoring Likert category for both species and for both age groups, potentially indicating high levels of uncertainty. Knowledge, gender, location and livestock ownership were all significantly associated with attitudes to reintroductions. Understanding young people’s attitudes may therefore be essential to understanding potential future reintroductions of these species.