‘Sharks suffer from a bad reputation’: Researchers look at peoples’ perceptions of sharks in new study

While sharks have been seen as “bloodthirsty man eaters” that are out to get you in the ocean, a new study shows that people learning about sharks can reduce their fears and boost conservation efforts for the apex predators.

Shark researchers in the first-of-its-kind study looked at peoples’ perceptions of sharks. Overall, people were more likely to support sharks if they believed the animals could think, feel, or reason.

The study’s results could help conservation groups raise awareness and support for threatened species that may be viewed negatively by humans, according to the scientists from Cal State Long Beach.

“Sharks suffer from a bad reputation,” said Gabriella Hancock, an assistant professor of psychology at Cal State Long Beach. “Everybody remembers those one or two shark incidents that they see on the news, but they don’t take into consideration the tens of millions of people that go into the ocean every day and don’t even see a shark.

“Our study is unique in the sense that it was the first to examine humans’ beliefs that were specifically about what the animals themselves are mentally capable of,” Hancock added.

The researchers found the more that people see sharks as thinking, intelligent creatures, people were more willing to support shark conservation by voting for their protection and contributing funds to charities.

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Also in the study, the more that people believed in stingrays’ emotional abilities, the more willing they were to donate funds to stingray charities.

And the stronger peoples’ beliefs in sharks’ and stingrays’ ability to reason, people were more willing to get into the water with them.

“They’re (seen as) bloodthirsty man eaters,” Hancock said about sharks. “They’re out to get you every time you’re in the water, but they don’t actually pose a great threat to us right now.

“The odds of encountering one are super low, the odds of being injured by one or even lower, the odds of being killed by one are astronomically small,” Hancock added. “You’re more likely to be killed by lightning. You’re more likely to be killed by hornets, wasps, and bees. You’re more likely to be killed by your own dog.”

As one of the California Shark Beach Safety Program research projects, this paper is one of many examining the psychological attitudes and beliefs human beings have toward marine life.

“The California Shark Beach Safety Program is the first of its kind and was developed for the purpose of better understanding white shark behavior and informing lifeguards and the general public about what we learn so they can make informed decisions about how they use and play along California beaches,” said Christopher Lowe, professor of marine biology and director of the university’s Shark Lab.

Lowe added, “Understanding how people perceive sharks is essential for us to provide good science-based information in ways that enable the public to better understand and appreciate the marine life they share the ocean with.”