Predicting Hunting Intentions and Behavior: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior

Abstract

Using a mail survey ( n = 395) of outdoor recreationists, the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991) was applied to the prediction and explanation of hunting. In a series of hierarchical regression analyses, it was found that hunting intentions, but not perceptions of behavioral control, contributed to the prediction of self-reported hunting frequency. Hunting intentions, in turn, were strongly influenced by attitudes, subjective norms, and perceptions of behavioral control, and these predictors correlated highly with theoretically derived sets of underlying beliefs. Broad values related to wildlife and to life in general correlated weakly with hunting behavior, and their effects were largely mediated by the components of the theory of planned behavior.