Abstract
This article provides a first investigation on the attitude of South Tyrolean residents
(northern Italy) towards the return of the wolf in their province. Data were collected
through an online questionnaire, which was available for 54,527 residents (≥ 18 years
old) of South Tyrol with internet access and a Facebook® account and was shared on
the institute’s homepage. In total, 1818 valid responses were collected in two months in
2018. Cluster analysis evidenced four homogenous groups of respondents
characterized by the components of attitude, their district community, the wolf
distribution in their area, belief factors and the personal fear of wolves. The data
analysis revealed differences and relations between the four clusters in the level of
knowledge, experience with wolves, education level and the expected impact on the
tourist sector. The obtained results (1) evidence some key factors influencing the
attitude of residents, (2) underline the importance of considering small spatial scale
attitudinal differences and (3) urge for an extended human dimension of wolf
coexistence research to support local management strategies.