Results of poll on feelings about wolves in NM, AZ - Las Cruces Sun-News
By The Associated Press
Article Launched: 06/16/2008 12:03:33 PM MDT
ALBUQUERQUE—A look at results from a poll of 1,000 residents of New Mexico and Arizona, half in each state, about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 10-year-old program to reintroduce the Mexican gray wolf on public lands in the two states.
—Sixty-seven percent of Arizonans and 57 percent of New Mexicans favor giving wolves greater protection under the Endangered Species Act; 14 percent of Arizonans and 25 percent of New Mexicans oppose the idea.
—Fifty-one percent of Arizonans and 49 percent of New Mexicans believe livestock grazing is good for the environment; 16 percent of Arizonans and 19 percent of New Mexicans disagree.
—Sixty-two percent of Arizonans and 53 percent of New Mexicans support letting wolves migrate to suitable habitat in the states; 17 percent of Arizonans and 24 percent of New Mexicans oppose migration.
—Sixty percent of Arizonans rate their overall feelings about wolves as positive; 13 percent are negative and 22 percent are neutral. In New Mexico, 48 percent have overall positive feelings, 19 percent are negative and 26 percent are neutral.
—Sixty percent of Arizonans and half of the New Mexicans surveyed want ranchers to be required to remove or render inedible the carcasses of cattle that die of non-wolf causes—something environmental groups have pushed for.
—Fifty-one percent of Arizonans and 48 percent of New Mexicans support reimbursing ranchers who volunteer to give up their grazing leases.
A portion of the poll calling for respondants to state the first thing that came to mind when thinking about wolves found:
Arizona:
—21 percent: beautiful animal
—14 percent endangered species
—12 percent wild
—6 percent dangerous
—4 percent kill livestock
—13 percent don’t know or won’t say
New Mexico:
—9 percent endangered species
—7 percent beautiful animal
—6 percent wild
—4 percent kill livestock
—3 percent dangerous
—13 percent don’t know or won’t say
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Information from poll done in April and May by Research & Polling Inc. of Albuquerque. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
Results of poll on feelings about wolves in NM, AZ - Las Cruces Sun-News
