Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.n2z34tn8j

Description of the data and file structure

This dataset contains responses from a web-based survey conducted from 2022 to 2023 with undergraduate students attending five Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across four Southeastern U.S. states. The survey assessed hunting participation, motivations, social support, beliefs, perceived barriers, and relevant demographic information. Research collaborators at each HBCU distributed the survey link to a random sample of undergraduate students at their institution. Survey items measured past and future hunting participation, hunting motivations, social support networks, beliefs and attitudes toward hunting, and perceived constraints to hunting participation. Additional items captured experiences of social exclusion and perceptions of belonging in hunting spaces. Demographic variables include gender identity and race/ethnicity. The study was designed to explore disparities in hunting participation and perceptions among Black American college students, an underrepresented population in hunting participation research, to inform inclusive recruitment and conservation strategies.

Note 1: Empty cells in this dataset represent non-responses, where the participant opted to skip the survey item.

Note 2: In accordance with Dryad's policy that the data submission contain less than three indirect identifiers we have removed the variables representing: university, gender, race, year of birth, zip code, and all "other_text" responses where participants may potentially reveal personal information. Therefore, those select variables can be found in the codebook below, but will not be found in the corresponding data file.

Files and variables

File: HBCU_Students__Survvey_-_Full_SOURCE_Version_Dryad.pdf

Description: full survey instrument

File: HBCU_Data_for_Dryad_revised_4_8_26.csv

Human subjects data

All identifying information has been removed from this dataset. The data are fully anonymized and cannot be used to identify individual participants or institutions.