Table 1.
Motivations of Systematic (n = 177) and Opportunistic (n = 218) Garden Wildlife Health citizen science data contributors, framed according to the Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI). VFI includes six motivations: ‘Career’ (improve present/future career prospects), ‘Social’ (develop/strengthen social ties), ‘Values’ (express altruistic/humanitarian values), ‘Enhancement’ (increase positive affect), ‘Understanding’ (permit new learning or exercise existing skills/knowledge) and ‘Protective’ (protect individual's ego). Chronbach's alpha (α) is reported, along with mean respondent values, for each VFI motivation. Themes identified after qualitative analysis of open-ended questions are mapped onto VFI motivations. Themes not associated with a VFI motivations are categorised as ‘Other’. The number of Systematic and Opportunistic individuals discussing the theme as one of their two main reasons for contributing data to GHW is compared using z-tests.
| VFI motivation |
Systematic |
Opportunistic |
Qualitative theme | Example statement |
Systematic |
Opportunistic |
z | p | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (SE) | α | Mean (SE) | α | n | (%) | n | (%) | |||||
| Career | 1.27 (±0.03) | 0.94 | 1.38 (±0.03) | 0.9 | N/A | N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Social | 2.05 (±0.04) | 0.81 | 2.13 (±0.04) | 0.83 | Organisation requested I participate | BTO have previously asked if I could contribute disease sightings | 14 | 7.9 | 0 | 0 | 4.23 | <0.001 |
| Values | 4.41 (±0.03) | 0.79 | 4.43 (±0.04) | 0.74 | Prevent future diseases and outbreaks | It is important for us to be aware of possible disease outbreaks and prevent them where we can | 17 | 9.6 | 24 | 11 | −0.45 | 0.65 |
| Protect environment | Do my bit to protect our environment | 1 | 0.6 | 2 | 0.9 | −0.34 | 0.73 | |||||
| Help conservation | I wanted to help the conservation process | 2 | 1.1 | 5 | 2.3 | −0.9 | 0.37 | |||||
| Love for nature | I love nature and want to do all I can to help it | 18 | 10.2 | 20 | 9.2 | 0.33 | 0.74 | |||||
| Concern about chemicals | I am very worried about our use of chemicals in the UK and how this may contribute towards disease | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 | −0.94 | 0.35 | |||||
| Concern about bird population | I am concerned about decline in many species in recent years and hope that reporting may help curtail this | 3 | 1.7 | 5 | 2.3 | −0.42 | 0.67 | |||||
| Concern about wildlife health | I am concerned about the decline in finches through disease | 31 | 17.5 | 68 | 31.2 | −3.1 | 0.00 | |||||
| Concern about wider wildlife health problems | I was concerned because I have my horses in the field, I don't want the disease to spread to them | 2 | 1.1 | 6 | 2.8 | −1.19 | 0.23 | |||||
| Reduce suffering | Because I don't like to see animals suffer | 1 | 0.6 | 5 | 2.3 | −1.37 | 0.17 | |||||
| Help wildlife | I love all living creatures and just want to do my bit to help out wildlife | 2 | 1.1 | 6 | 2.8 | −1.19 | 0.23 | |||||
| Preserve species | I was aware that diseases in wildlife could be reported and by doing this it may help to preserve species in the future | 3 | 1.7 | 10 | 4.6 | −1.6 | 0.11 | |||||
| Enhancement | 1.79 (±0.04) | 0.82 | 1.62 (±0.04) | 0.84 | Enjoyment | I enjoy helping schemes that help nature | 23 | 13 | 3 | 1.4 | −0.09 | 0.93 |
| Understanding | 3.55 (±0.05) | 0.8 | 4.03 (±0.05) | 0.74 | Raise awareness | I hope the programme will use my report to raise awareness of wildlife disease spread | 7 | 4 | 5 | 2.3 | 0.98 | 0.33 |
| To engage children | I want my children to understand and benefit as I have | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 | −0.94 | 0.35 | |||||
| Learn about why the disease occurred | Was so delighted to find that frogs lived in my garden. Was concerned when they started to die and wanted to know what was wrong with them. | 47 | 26.6 | 53 | 24.3 | 0.52 | 0.60 | |||||
| Seek advice | Noticed many sick and dead birds in garden, green finches, wanted advice on disease and advice on continuing bird care | 24 | 13.6 | 17 | 7.8 | 1.88 | 0.06 | |||||
| Contribute to research efforts | To help wildlife research, it needs all the help it can get | 102 | 57.6 | 83 | 38.1 | 3.86 | <0.001 | |||||
| Has a scientific background | As a scientist it is important to help where I can to further our understanding of these problems | 14 | 7.9 | 6 | 2.8 | 2.29 | 0.02 | |||||
| Interest in finding out more about wildlife | I'm interested in understanding more about the wildlife in my garden | 16 | 9 | 19 | 8.7 | 0.1 | 0.92 | |||||
| Protective | 1.54 (±0.03) | 0.84 | 1.49 (±0.03) | 0.85 | Confirm the disease wasn't my fault | I was worried that I may be, in some way, responsible for passing on the disease - by not doing something that I should be. | 10 | 5.6 | 7 | 3.2 | 1.17 | 0.24 |
| Moral responsibility | To help the greater good | 12 | 6.8 | 5 | 2.3 | 2.19 | 0.03 | |||||
| I have time available | I have free time so want to put it to something meaningful | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2.98 | 0.01 | |||||
| Other | Influence policy | Maybe they can then persuade the Government to take a less cavalier attitude as they won't listen to me. | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 | −0.94 | 0.35 | ||||
| Concern about policy reports | I am concerned about the state of nature report and so I decided to “do something” | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 | −0.94 | 0.35 | |||||
| Importance of citizen science | Citizen science is becoming increasing important | 2 | 1.1 | 10 | 4.6 | −2.02 | 0.04 | |||||
| Maintain garden environment | Monitor and maintain a good garden environment | 1 | 0.6 | 4 | 1.8 | −1.06 | 0.29 | |||||