A new survey indicates eight of 10 Americans approve of hunting. That marks the highest approval rating since the first study in 1975.
Responsive Management, a research firm specializing in natural resource and outdoor recreation issues that previously worked with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and other organizations, conducted the survey. It obtained more than 3,000 completed interviews.
The study used the term legal hunting in case a respondent interpreted the single term “hunting” as being inclusive of poaching.
Researchers found the approval of hunting at its highest level in the Midwest (86 percent) and at its lowest in the Northeast (72 percent). Hunting approval also varies depending on its reason with the top four reasons being to protect humans from harm, for the meat, to get locally sourced food and for wildlife management purposes.
The survey also found that 93 percent of Americans approve of fishing, 81 percent approve of recreational shooting and 52 percent approve of trapping.
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(Photo source: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)
(Graphic source: Responsive Management)