Motivations to Participate in Riparian Improvement Programs

Abstract

This study utilized the theory of planned behavior, a model of attitudinal factors related to behavioral intention, to investigate the lack of participation in government-sponsored programs to conserve riparian areas. A telephone survey of 209 rural landowners whose property abutted a waterway revealed that financial motivations, past behaviors, exposure to government information, and self-efficacy predicted 29 percent of the variance in intent to participate in future conservation programs. The findings suggest that external constraints and social barriers (such as financial variables) are important moderators of perceived behavioral control and deserve closer scrutiny.