Visualizing consensus in human dimensions data: The potential for conflict index(2)

This research note used the potential for conflict index (PCI2) to visually clarify how individualswith a positive, neutral, or negative attitude toward mountain lions vary in support or opposition toward lethal management of this species. Data were obtained from a mail survey of residents (n = 2,668, 59% response rate) in Denver, Colorado. Attitude toward mountain lions was measured with three semantic differential items (good-bad, positive-negative, and beneficial-harmful; Cronbach alpha = .84). Respondents reported their acceptance of lethal management of mountain lions in four scenarios (a mountain lion is seen, kills a pet, injures a person, or kills a person in a residential area). Among those with a negative attitude, killing the mountain lion was acceptable in all scenarios and consensus progressively increased (smaller PCI2 values) as the severity of interaction increased. The reverse was generally true for those with a positive attitude (less consensus was demonstrated by larger PCI2 values).