National Geographic Poll Reveals Support for Saving Wildlife but Lack of Understanding of the Topic

National Geographic, in conjunction with Ipsos, polled 12,000 adults in 12 countries around the world to understand how people in these places value nature and biodiversity.

  • The poll, which will be released with the magazine’s October issue titled “Vanishing,” revealed overwhelming support for species conservation but also a lack of understanding of the topic.
  • The poll surveyed 12,000 adults in 12 countries.
  • A majority of respondents weren’t sure how much vertebrate populations have changed since 1970.
  • Respondents were also shocked to learn that a quarter of the world’s mammals could soon go the way of the dodo.
  • Even with such knowledge gaps, however, one crucial takeaway from the poll is that regardless of political or cultural backgrounds very few people think extinction is acceptable.
  • Many scientists project that we are on the brink of a modern-day mass extinction, the last of which occurred some 66 million years ago, wiping out the dinosaur population in part by asteroid impact.
  • Dozens of species go extinct every day and scientists predict that more than 20,000 plants and animals are on the verge of disappearing forever.
  • The October issue highlights species that are among the world’s most vulnerable, at risk of vanishing within our lifetimes.
  • The upcoming issue, which seeks to fill the gap in education about the extinction crisis around the world, is available online now at natgeo.com/vanishing.
  • To give readers an opportunity to help, National Geographic Society is asking for consumers to take the #SaveTogether pledge at NatGeo.org/SaveTogether.
  • For each pledge made, National Geographic Society will donate $5 to fund more exploration, research, and conservation.