Beyond Wildlife Values: Social and Ecological Dominance as Ideological Foundations of Wildlife Value Orientations

Conservation conflicts are often shaped by underlying ideological differences among constituents, yet research has rarely examined how broader dominance-based ideologies structure wildlife-specific beliefs. We extend current research by establishing the predictive role of social dominance orientation (SDO) and ecological dominance orientation (EDO) within the wildlife value orientations (WVO) framework, demonstrating that dominance-based ideologies account for unique variance in wildlife beliefs above and beyond established sociodemographic predictors, and providing an empirical foundation for future theoretical integration. Using survey data from a random sample of Minnesota residents ( n = 27,000), we tested direct and indirect pathways linking SDO and EDO to WVOs through political ideology and religiosity, while controlling for key sociodemographic variables. Results showed that SDO and EDO positively predicted utilitarian values and negatively predicted mutualistic values, with additional indirect effects through conservative ideology and religiosity, highlighting the influence of dominance-based ideologies on conservation attitudes.