“What do people say is the most important reason to protect nature? An analysis of pro-environmental motives across 11 countries”

Using open-ended responses from 5297 interviews across 11 countries, this study reports what people say are the most important reasons to protect nature. Overall, and in some individual countries (e.g., Brazil, China, South Africa, South Korea, United States), the most frequently stated reason was an anthropocentric motive of ensuring human health and survival. But in some countries (e.g., Kenya, United Kingdom, Indonesia), ecocentric and altruistic motives-such as maintaining balance in nature’s delicate interconnected system or protecting nature for future generations-were more common.