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Emotions in the city? Emotional responses to urban wildlife and their association with urban reactive behavioral intentions during environmental and political crisis

Itai Beeri

Urban Studies: an international journal for research in urban studies2026https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980261417604article
AJG 3ABDC A*
Weight
0.50

Abstract

How do emotional responses associate with urban behavior amid ecological and political disruption? This study explores the emotional, cognitive, and institutional factors associated with urban reactive behavioral intentions during escalating human–wildlife encounters, focusing on wild boars in Haifa, Israel. Using a large-scale survey with visual stimuli designed to evoke emotional responses, we elicited emotions—fear versus empathy and indifference versus curiosity—and measured two outcomes: immediate spatial response and civic reporting (calls to the municipal 106 hotline). Findings show that fear mediates the link between perceived harm and urban reactions, while curiosity and perceived good local governance moderate this relationship. Curiosity, unexpectedly, amplified both fear and behavioral intentions response. Perceived good governance mitigated physical expressions of fear in public space but had limited impact on civic reporting. Emotional responses also shifted depending on visual framing, emphasizing the role of public communication. This research advances understanding of emotional infrastructure in cities and informs adaptive urban governance by linking environmental risk, emotion, and institutional trust.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980261417604

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@article{itai2026,
  title        = {{Emotions in the city? Emotional responses to urban wildlife and their association with urban reactive behavioral intentions during environmental and political crisis}},
  author       = {Itai Beeri},
  journal      = {Urban Studies: an international journal for research in urban studies},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980261417604},
}

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Emotions in the city? Emotional responses to urban wildlife and their association with urban reactive behavioral intentions during environmental and political crisis

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.