Public Perceptions of Forest Management in North Central Arizona: The Paradox of Demanding More Involvement but Allowing Limits to Legal Action

Because Arizona’s population is both dynamic and diverse (in terms of age, income, education, length of time living in Arizona, and rural or urban setting), we were particularly interested in examining how demographic factors relate to restoration policy preferences. Contextual factors, including setting (geographic and residential), have been identified as important dimensions in the study of social acceptability of natural resource issues (Shindler et al. 2002a, Brunson and Shindler 2004). Demographic information provides clues as to trends in policy preferences and may indicate how agencies can direct their efforts to communicate to the public. For instance, agencies may wonder if there is a difference between rural and urban preferences. Brunson and Evans (2005) found that rural residents in Utah were less likely than metropolitan residents to believe federal agencies can use prescribed fire effectively and that rural respondents had less trust of federal officials. Agencies also may ask, are younger or older people more receptive to restoration or limits to environmental litigation? Does education level influence whether limitations to participation are acceptable, or does length of residency in north central Arizona influence policy perceptions? Examining these contextual issues as they relate to policy preferences will help managers and policymakers better understand the publics they serve and may provide insights on the social and political context for restoration in a rapidly changing state such as Arizona (Hall and Bigler-Cole 2001).