Attitudes Toward Hunting Across Time And Continents
This comparison of the attitudes toward three types of hunting between residents of the United States and residents of Sweden shows that support for hunting in both countries varies depending upon the type of hunting.
In both countries, about 90% of residents support “traditional, native, subsistence hunting.” This support drops significantly when the hunting is for “recreation and meat,” though a majority in each country still support it. Support is lowest when the hunting is for “sport and recreation,” with only about a third of people in both countries supporting this kind of hunting.
Blanket statements about hunting are not accurate. Support depends on further explanation of the term hunting as it depends on who and why people are hunting.
In Sweden, nearly 5% of the adult population are registered as hunters in any given year. A 1981 survey found that 7.5% of the adult population say they sometimes or often go hunting. In 1991, 7.9% said they hunt.