The public perception of sharks in the Maltese islands

Abstract

Shark populations worldwide are in decline and conservation efforts can be hampered by negative perceptions of sharks amongst the general public. This research aims to examine perceptions of sharks amongst the Maltese population, taking into account both views of the general public as well as those of members of a shark conservation-oriented Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Sharklab Malta. A survey (n=156) containing both quantitative and qualitative questions was distributed to these two subgroups so as to determine nature relatedness and attitudes towards sharks, as well as influences on these attitudes. Results were then analysed using SPSS. The results of this research indicate that, in the case of both subgroups, individuals who had first-hand experience with sharks perceived sharks to be less threatening than individuals with no such experience. Furthermore, the media had an effect on whether sharks were perceived to be important ecosystem components by the general public subgroup. Gender seemed to have no significant effect on how sharks were perceived, except that women who are members of Sharklab are more likely than men to perceive sharks as threatening. The results of this research suggest that shark conservationoriented NGOs could focus on providing experiences with sharks to the general public so as to improve conservation efforts, and that factual and non-sensational shark-related media could also help to combat negative shark stereotypes.