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Understanding tolerance for wildlife requires accounting for the multiple cognitive antecedents of this concept and its contextual factors. We examined whether direct experience was associated with four antecedent dimensions of tolerance for black bears (antipathy, connection, lethal control [damage], lethal control [danger to self, pets, and economics]), both directly and indirectly via risk perception, self-assessed knowledge, and factual knowledge. We collected data using intercept surveys at trailheads in western Oregon, United States (n = 210). Risk perception was most strongly related to antipathy (cost-related beliefs) and connection (benefit-related beliefs) toward black bears. Self-assessed knowledge was most strongly associated with an individual's assessment that bears are a nuisance (lethal control [damage] and a safety concern [danger to self, pets, and economics]). Direct experience was related to all four antecedents, whereas factual knowledge was not related to any dimension. Identifying drivers of tolerance can inform actionable recommendations that promote tolerance for wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tolerance for wildlife can be informed by a person's beliefs, attitudes, norms, or other characteristics. Although theoretical papers emphasize the interrelations of these multiple antecedents of wildlife tolerance, empirical studies have not tested them using a rigorous scale development process. We used psychometrics to characterize the cognitive antecedents of tolerance toward black bears (Ursus americanus). Proposed scale items were tested via web-hosted questionnaire (n = 240) and refined into 29 items representing five antecedent dimensions of tolerance for black bears. We then administered these items to a different sample of recreational trail users in western Oregon (n = 210). Second-order confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a 19-item measure representing four distinct yet related antecedent dimensions of tolerance: antipathy, connection, lethal control (damage), and lethal control (danger to self, pets, and economics). These dimensions help better explain why people may be more or less tolerant toward black bears and, potentially, other wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]