Pest Management Science (2018) 74, 1478-14937

Selected publication you are invited to contribute to the discussion section (above tab)

Bruce Schoelitsz, P. Marijn Poortvliet and Willem Takken (2018)
Factors driving public tolerance levels and information-seeking behaviour concerning insects in the household environment
Pest Management Science 74 (6), 1478-14937
Abstract:
Background
The public's negative attitudes towards household insects drive tolerance for these insects and their control. Tolerance levels are important in integrated pest management (IPM), as are pest knowledge and information. The risk information seeking and processing (RISP) model describes the relationships between personal factors and information-seeking behaviour. We combined IPM and RISP to determine important relationships between factors driving insect tolerance levels and information-seeking behaviour through an online survey and tested whether this model is valid and generally applicable.
Results
Relationships between variables from both IPM and RISP models were tested for seven insect species. Tolerance levels were measured with two factors: willingness to pay for pest control and whether insects are tolerated. Willingness to pay for control was positively affected by age, experience, risk perception, insect characteristics, and negative emotions and affected behavioural intention, by influencing information sufficiency and information-seeking behaviour. Tolerability was influenced by perception of insect characteristics and determines whether control measures are taken.
Conclusion
It was possible to combine the RISP and IPM models. Relevant driving factors were a person's age, experience, risk perception, negative affective responses, tolerance levels, relevant channel beliefs about online forums, information sufficiency and information-seeking behaviour. There was, however, variation in important factors between different insects.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Full text of article

Database assignments for author(s): Willem Takken

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
control - general
damage/losses/economics

---

Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Stegobium paniceum		Netherlands
	Musca domestica		Netherlands
	Blattella germanica		Netherlands
	Anobium punctatum		Netherlands
	Ctenolepisma longicaudata		Netherlands
	Cimex lectularius		Netherlands