Lessons from an experiment with values-based messaging to support watershed conservation.

Conservation professionals use language related to instrumental, intrinsic, and relational values when communicating about the importance of conservation, frequently in connection with ecosystem services. However, few researchers have examined whether messages that emphasize values associated with ecosystem services result in different policy-support or behavior-change outcomes among different audiences. We conducted a large-scale survey experiment with participants (n = 815) who resided in the United States and were recruited online via the survey platform Qualtrics.