Assessing the Impacts of Emapathy-Centered Beach Naturalist Programs on Empathy for Shoreline Marine Life

• In Event: Animals from a Sociological Perspective Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 3: Human-Animal Futures

Abstract

This study examines whether an empathy-centered beach naturalist program enhances empathy toward shoreline marine life among participants. Drawing on three summers of survey data (2023-2025) from beaches in a city in the Pacific Northwest, we assess changes in affective and cognitive empathy among individuals who did and did not interact with a beach naturalist during a low-tide event. Respondents completed surveys with Likert and open-ended questions regarding empathy, what they learned and how the experience might influence future behavior. Results indicate that encounters emphasizing kindness, curiosity, and the intrinsic value of marine organisms are associated with higher reported empathy, particularly for less charismatic invertebrates. Findings contribute to debates about environmental education by highlighting empathy as a complementary pathway to conservation engagement.

Author

• Cameron Thomas Whitley, Western Washington University