Understanding why peri-urban residents do not report wild dog impacts: an audience segmentation approach

Abstract

Peri-urban populations are diverse, with residents possessing a broad range of values, knowledge and skills related to managing invasive pests. In this article, we employed the COM-B behavior change model and audience segmentation analysis to identify the main barriers that prevent Gold Coast peri-urban residents from reporting wild dog impacts to local government. Participants (<i>n</i> = 383) responded to a random digit dial phone survey that assessed their capability, opportunity and motivation to report wild dogs and their impacts to local government. Audience segmentation analysis identified two types of non-reporters: (a) Reluctant – perceived no benefits of reporting, it took too much effort, and believed dogs should be left alone – and (b) Receptive – acknowledged wild dogs were a threat and understood the benefits of reporting. We describe how segmentation analysis can be used to develop interventions specifically tailored to the needs of each type of non-reporter.