Shifting demographic and attitudinal changes of TWS members (1991–2014)

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Wildlife Society's (TWS) strategic plan for 2014–2019 intends to improve member services, organizational integration, and sustainability of the Society. To inform these efforts, we invited 12,681 TWS members to participate in an online survey covering demographics and perceptions of member services and benefits in 2014. Compared with a previous TWS member survey completed in 1991, member demographics have shifted: females comprise a greater proportion of the membership (32% in 2014; 19% in 1991), a smaller proportion of members are actively involved at any level of TWS (41%; 52%), and the median age of members has increased slightly from 39 to 44. A smaller proportion of current members supported expansion of the certification program (28%) as compared with member responses in 1991 (51%). Support for TWS becoming an accrediting agency for university wildlife programs declined from 79% to 50%. A greater proportion of current members (54%) opposed using TWS certification requirements as hiring guidelines for wildlife biologists, compared with 38% of members in 1991. In 2014, most TWS members viewed access to TWS publications and networking opportunities with other professionals as valuable membership benefits; however, lack of time or resources for involvement and lack of encouragement from employers were perceived as the main barriers to TWS participation. Although often an integral part of a member's professional career, our results suggest that members are less active in the Society and hold weaker positive attitudes toward the role of TWS in their career as it relates to certification, formal education, and employment compared with 1991. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.

Keywords

• membership
• professional society
• survey
• The Wildlife Society