Smoothing the “Churn”: Addressing Inconsistency in Angler License Purchasing Using Community Based Social Marketing

The dynamics surrounding angler participation and license purchasing are complex. Inconsistencies in license purchasing among individual anglers challenges conservation and other efforts funded through license sales. To effectively address this challenge research designed to inform outreach using Community Based Social Marketing (CBSM) principles was conducted to improve efforts to recruit and retain anglers. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TBP) and CBSM to structure the research led to the production of usable recommendations for targeting lapsed anglers and encouraging community level support for purchasing a fishing license. Data collection included the administration of 14 interviews of key informants, four focus group discussions with anglers, and a survey sent to a random sample of 7,000 anglers licensed in New Hampshire.  The information presented will focus on key findings and their potential applications.