Young minds, big fish: exploring two to twelve-year-old’s descriptions and fear of sharks

Sharks are often feared and negatively perceived by the public, potentially limiting conservation support. However, little is known about how children perceive sharks. We explored this using an online survey, with 323 parents reporting on 374 children aged 2–12 from 17 countries or regions. Parents described their child’s shark-related experiences and recorded responses to open-ended questions. Children most often encountered sharks through books (65%) and aquariums (59%), followed by TV (38%). Around two-thirds of children liked sharks, citing their appearance or behavior, while others disliked them due to fear or perceived danger. A total of 13.9% of children associated sharks with fear and/or being scary, and a statistically significant trend was found, where the proportion of children reporting fear associations with sharks increased with age. Our qualitative data suggest directions for future research, including examining the influence of parental fear and media exposure.