The Baby Animal Effect in Wildlife Conservation Advertising

This study examines how baby animal appeals influence wildlife conservation intentions and donation behavior. Participants shown a baby animal demonstrated more empathy and stronger conservation intentions than those shown an adult animal. Furthermore, promotion-focused participants responded with higher conservation intentions and donation amounts after viewing baby (vs. adult) animals, while prevention-focused participants showed no preference. By demonstrating how baby animal appeals interact with self-regulatory focus, these findings shed light on the boundary conditions of the baby animal effect and identify empathy as the key mechanism driving conservation behaviors.