Research to the rescue: How market research can guide behaviour change and ivory demand reduction strategies in China

Li Chenyang and Wander Meijer

This article details research that seeks to discover the nature of ivory consumption in 15 large cities in China, aims to understand consumers' perception toward the ivory ban and assesses effective messaging and mechanisms for demand reduction.

Preface

Over the past decade, the worldwide elephant population has declined by 20,000–30,000 per year due to growing human populations, reduced habitat, trophy hunting and specifically poaching. Elephants are being slaughtered at an industrial scale for their ivory, and with an estimated 415,000 left in the wild, at the current rate the species could be extinct within the next 20 years.

Ivory has been appreciated throughout Chinese history as precious and auspicious, bringing status and good luck to the owners. Ivory has been carved for thousands of years and has adorned the households of the richest people. With the increasing...

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